


Gimme Shelter

by kooky500



Series: Breathing in the chemicals [1]
Category: Vampire Knight (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Animal Death, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Background Relationships, Blood Kink, Canon-Typical Violence, Cunnilingus, Depression, Emotional Constipation, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Face-Sitting, Fantasizing, Friends With Benefits, FtM Zero, Genderfluid Character, Grief/Mourning, He's just dense, Hooo boy Zero has a LOT of issues y'all, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Kaname isn't mean, Major Character Injury, Masturbation, Menstrual Sex, Menstruation, Menstruation Kink, Misgendering, Multi, Oral Sex, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Past Character Death, Past Relationship(s), Past Zero/Original Male Character, Period Sex, Pining, Post-Canon, References to Depression, Slow Burn, Trans Male Character, Werewolves, and a bit ignorant, but he means well, like a puppy that tears up your couch, trans Zero
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2020-05-31 09:44:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 28
Words: 111,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19423435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kooky500/pseuds/kooky500
Summary: Zero doesn’t do feelings. At all. Being a hunter is a dangerous job and in that line of work feelings get people killed. He’s learned that lesson the hard way. No, it’s better not to get attached to people. But then one night Kaname Kuran stumbled upon him in the shower and found out the hunter’s most closely guarded secret that Zero never imagined ever getting out.Kaname finds his curiosity piqued. Zero just wants to be left alone. That last one might be bit hard to achieve when Cross comes up with the brilliant idea of sending the two together on a hunting mission to track down a rogue werewolf that’s been slaughtering humans and vampires alike. And in the process, hopefully, put an end to the animosity between the two men.Forced to work together, will our two favorite moody vampires manage to finally find common ground between them and possibly forge something stronger than a friendship? Or will old grudges and prejudices widen the gap that stands between them for good?





	1. Chapter 1: (You) make me want to feel again

**Author's Note:**

> Surprise, y'all! Have a new fic! I've been working on this one for a while now and figured - what better way to close out Pride month than by starting a new fic with Trans Zero?!
> 
> I am still updating RHDL, don't worry, this will just be another fic of mine. This one is still a WIP though, so updates aren't really on a set schedule right now. But I will finish it, come hell or high water. I promise.
> 
> Quick note: In this fic, Zero stuck around to fulfill his duties as prefect, under the guise of being a TA while Cross tried to find a replacement for him. Yuuki got held back a year due to the whole thing with Rido doing a number on her education and of course, Kaname stayed back with his sister.
> 
> Warning for misgendering of a trans character in this chapter, by the way!

Patrol was slow-going this night, the blistering heat of the lingering summer serving well to keep troublemakers and nosy students inside their air-conditioned dormitories. Zero would probably be more thankful for that were he not stuck still wandering the grounds with beads of sweat soaking through his clothes.

“Fucking heat,” He cursed as he stopped to reach behind him and tug his wet shirt away from his sweat-slicked back. Zero grimaced and wiped at the sweat starting to drip into his eyes, with his other hand. God, this was so not fair. For god’s sake, it was _October_ – it was supposed to be freezing not fucking hot as the fires of hell.

Why, oh why, did he agree to take up a position as a TA again? “Just long enough for us to find a replacement prefect,” Cross said. “It’s only for a year,” Cross said. Zero was quickly finding out he’d underestimated how slowly a year could drag on. If this fucking heat didn’t kill him the sheer frustration of having to deal with screaming, hormonal teenagers would.

His regular route took him past the gymnasium once more, and he couldn’t help but feel a pang of longing at the thought of the showers inside. At this point, he’d give a lot just for a cold shower to help him cool off. Zero paused in his steps, looking around him at the empty, silent campus.

_It’s not like anyone would know…_

A trickle of warm sweat rolled down his spine, making his decision for him. Without stopping to question it anymore Zero strode forward, digging the keys out from his pocket and letting himself into the building.

He flipped on the light switch and found his way to the locker room with relatively little trouble, casting one more paranoid glance around before disrobing and turning the water on as cold as he could stand it. Zero let out a shocked hiss as the frigid water hit his boiling skin but relaxed shortly after as he began to get used to the sensation.

His breath left his lungs in a pleased little sigh as the man tipped his head back beneath the stream of water. Cold liquid rushed over his hot face, trickling over pale skin in rivulets and soaking his hair. Zero allowed a contented gasp to escape him. Finally, his scorching skin began to cool down beneath the-

“Well, well. I must say this is an unexpected sight.”

Zero’s eyes snapped open as his reverie was broken. Amethyst eyes fixed on the vampire leaning against the opposite shower with a smug grin on his lips. Too late, he forgot to remember to even think about covering the scars running beneath his nipples on each side of his flat chest and immediately Kaname’s gaze dropped to them when he turned around.

“Wow, you’re even watching people shower now? Have to say, Kuran. That’s pretty creepy even for you. Not to mention _illegal._ ” Zero drawled. When all else fails, he’d learned that sarcasm and defecting worked well to hide his internal panicking.

It didn’t work though. Not this time. “You’re…a girl.” Kaname murmured in surprise while his red gaze stayed glued to the prefect’s chest – which, absolutely wasn’t creepy at _all._

Anger bloomed in Zero’s chest, and before he knew what he was doing, he was across the room, swiping sharp claws across the front of Kaname’s pristine uniform. The fabric ripped apart beneath him, dangerously close to the pale skin of the pureblood’s throat. 

“Call me that again, and you can say goodbye to your fucking balls.” He threatened with venom coating his voice.

Kaname blinked at the sudden fury coating the hunter’s voice. Don’t get him wrong, Zero has threatened him dozens upon dozens of times before and he’d far grown used to most of it by now. But never before had he seen the complete and utter _loathing_ that filled those amethyst eyes. This wasn’t like the other times. This wasn’t some meaningless, trivial attempt at riling him up. Zero meant every word coming from his mouth.

But underneath the anger, Kaname could smell the bitter tang of Zero’s fear. He hated the pit of guilt that was slowly forming in his stomach.

Zero gestured to his flat chest with the two raised scars. “Do I fucking _look_ like a chick to you?”

Kaname’s breath hitched slightly in his throat as his gaze roved over the muscled form of the hunter before him. He’d never really bothered to notice just how fit the other man was before. 

It was somehow refreshing and incredibly aggravating how this low-level vampire dared to speak to him in such a way. A way that no one else would even begin to imagine. If nothing else, he’d always begrudgingly respected Zero for at least that much.

“I’m a man.” Zero firmly asserted with a glare.

Kaname hummed. “And those scars on your chest? What are they?” 

“They’re from none of your goddamn business.” Zero retorted. “I don’t owe you answers, Kuran. So, fuck off. Besides, shouldn’t you be fucking your sister or something?”

The hunter smirked at the responding snarl he earned for that, a dangerous flash of crimson in the pureblood’s eyes. He was playing with fire right now by angering him, and he knew it. At this point, Zero couldn’t be bothered to care.

“You should watch your tongue, level _E.”_ Kaname grit out.

 _Aw, hit a nerve have I?_ “Or _what?”_ The hunter fired right back.

“By all means, elaborate. You’ll… what? Kill me? Hit me? Go ahead, I’m sure you’d have a fun time explaining that one to the council and the association.” Hell, even Yuuki would probably just love to hear that one.

In an instant Zero found himself pressed up against the slippery back wall of the shower, a clawed hand wrapped menacingly around his throat.

“Careful, little hunter. You haven’t the faintest idea _what_ I will do.” Kaname snarled into his face.

Against the logical option, which would be to give up and let Kaname have his victory, escaping unscathed, Zero had to go and open his mouth again. 

“But I do know that you’re _pathetic._ Hell, you couldn’t even defeat your uncle without my help. You’re also a fucking hypocrite, preaching equality between vampiric castes in one breath but acting like level Ds are dirt beneath your feet in the next. You’re nothing but a piece of _shit._ ” He managed to force out despite the crushing grip around his throat. 

God, did it ever feel good to finally say that to the bastard’s face though. 

“Why am I not surprised? You always were jealous of my relationship with Yuuki, and now it’s starting to come out.” Kaname drawled with a sneer. “Jealousy does not become you, Kiryuu.”

Jealous? Of him and Yuuki? Zero couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of his throat at the very idea. There was just something so incredibly hilarious about that idea that it made it impossible for him _not_ to laugh. Kaname’s grip loosened as he stared at the hunter before him in confusion, probably thinking that he’d gone crazy at this point.

The pureblood stepped away, releasing his grip on the hunter. “What?” He demanded. “What is so amusing?”

“I- just- you-you think I’m jealous of you and _Yuuki.”_ Zero huffed out between laughter. Finally, he managed to get ahold of himself and stand, gingerly fingering the bruises around his throat. “Boy, you really _don’t_ get it, do you?”

“Get. What?”

“Really? You never noticed how often Kaito and I hung out?”

“He is your friend-“

“Or how none of the girls ever gave me chocolates on Valentine’s Day?”

“Yes, because you’re cold and cruel to them-“

“It just escaped your notice that I _never_ had a girlfriend?”

“Is there a point to all of this?” Kaname snapped as his patience reached its end.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake-“ Zero rolled his eyes. “Do I have to spell it out for you? I’m gay, you dumbass.”

Kaname’s anger dispersed at his shock. “You- what?”

“I’m gay. You know, into _dudes._ Batting for the other team. G-A-Y.”

“Yes, I know what gay means, thank you, Kiryuu. I just- I never thought that you were. But what about Yuuki?”

“She’s my _sister._ For most of us, that means family and not fucking lovers.” Zero answered like he was speaking to a child. At this point, he might as well be. “I care for her like family, adopted or not. I just- maybe don’t care quite in the same way or as much as you do.” He finished, unable to resist another dig at the pureblood’s relationship with the woman. To be honest, it still creeped him out, the whole thing of the two purebloods being siblings and still hooking up. A shudder ran down his spine.

“You’re… gay.”

“Last I checked, yeah.”

Kaname cut him a glare. Always with the witty remarks and sarcasm. Could Zero ever be serious for once? It irked him to no end. Yet, as he looked back, he could distinctly remember a few of the male students shyly offering Zero chocolates or blushing and stuttering offering the prefect a letter- oh _hell._ He really was blind, wasn’t he?

Somehow, the pureblood felt as though he was seeing the man before him in a whole new light now. Not that it lessened his dislike for the insolent hunter in any way, of course. But something was undeniably different.

Zero stepped to the side of him to finally shut off the water pouring over both of them and stride out past Kaname. 

As he passed the pureblood, Kaname could see droplets of water resting on sun-tanned skin, running down over taut muscles. His throat abruptly felt tighter. 

It was hard to describe, but the sudden, potent, and unique scent of the hunter hit him like a slap to the face. It was strangely and perplexingly intoxicating. Before he knew what he was doing, the pureblood found himself turning to chase the scent.

His shoe brushed against something solid and shiny as it rolled out of Zero’s pocket while he pulled his shirt on. Kaname tilted his head, bent down to pick it up. A ring of shining silver glinted beneath fluorescent lights. The metal was bent into whorls and twists, interlaid with amethysts. There was something rough on the inside as well, an inscription of sorts. It read-

“Give me _that,”_ Zero demanded, snatching the piece of metal out of his hand roughly. “Do you make a habit of just taking people’s things?” 

Actually, he wouldn’t be surprised if the asshole did. Still, it made him hot with anger to think of Kaname’s dirty fingers touching his most precious possession. 

“What is it?” Kaname asked, ignoring the hunter’s question. He couldn’t help but be curious at such a finely made piece of jewelry winding up in the hands of Zero Kiryuu.

“A ring.”

“Where did you get it?” It must have cost a small fortune.

Zero’s jaw tightened, and he slid the ring onto a silver chain before reaching up to wrap it around his neck. “It doesn’t matter.” He wondered if Kaname can hear the tightness in his voice.

“I find myself curious. Humor me.”

Zero finished tugging the rest of his clothing on without a word. “None of your goddamn fucking business.” The hunter forced out past the squeezing, crushing of his chest. At least he was facing away from the pureblood, so Kaname remained oblivious to the wetness in his eyes that Zero rapidly blinked back. 

“Quit prying into my life, Kuran. I’m not your fucking toy anymore. You got what you wanted so just- just fuck off and leave me alone. Go find someone else’s life to ruin.”

Zero waltzed out of the room and back into the blistering heat of the night before the pureblood could reply. All the better, because the last thing he wanted was to hear anything that bastard had to say. He made his way across the silent grounds, toying with the ring around his neck, idly. 

He didn’t make it even halfway back to the staff housing before he stumbled in his steps, catching himself on a tree and squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to block out the barrage of memories that threatened to crash down upon him. _No, no, I can’t._ Zero shook his head. He didn’t want to revisit those memories, not right now. It hurt too much.

_“Hey, Zizzy!” A peeked out at Zero from the kitchen doorway, wearing a wicked, crooked grin on his face that stretched the scar marring the man’s lips. He sidled up behind the younger hunter, wrapping his arms around him and resting his head on Zero’s. The silver-haired man grunted in annoyance. “Whatcha cooking? Smells good.”_

_Zero snorted and moved out of his grip. “Yuuki wants to give chocolates to that pureblood dickbag she’s obsessed with. And I don’t trust her not to burn down the kitchen. Again. So, here I am.”_

_“Aw, so I can’t have any?”_

_“No, you can’t have any.” Zero responded patiently before he felt Tomas’ form connect with him, sending the mixture in the bowl before him splattering over his hands._

_The older man reached for Zero’s hand before he could stop him, bringing one chocolate-covered finger to his mouth and wrapping his lips around it. “Mmm, delicious.”_

_Zero rolled his eyes as he reached for Tomas’ hips to tug him closer. “God, you can be so dramatic, baby.”_

_Tomas grins as he bends down to meet the younger hunter’s lips. “You love it.”_

Zero gingerly touched a finger to his lips, as though to chase the taste of his lover. If he concentrated hard enough, he could still taste the whiskey on Tomas’ tongue from that first kiss they shared. A fresh, new wave of sadness passes over him.

_“Enough! Enough!” Zero yelled between huffs of laughter as his lover attempted to tackle him._

_“But I just want a kiss,” Tomas protested with an exaggerated frown. He received a pillow to the face for his efforts._

_“Not with that morning breath. Go brush your teeth first, then we’ll talk.”_

_Tomas’ shoulders sagged. “But I want it now!”_

_Zero snorted and took aim with another pillow._

No one but the trees surrounding him to witness the loud sob that tore its way free of Zero’s throat. His fingers clenched around the ring, torn between ripping it from his neck and cradling it like the precious token it was.

He knew that he was probably pathetic, sitting out here sobbing and crying like some child. Scratch that – he definitely knew he was pathetic. 

It’s been at least a few years now since Tomas- since he died, but it still felt like it was just yesterday. His grief was still just as fresh and all-consuming, threatening to drown him from the inside if he wasn’t careful. Zero was tempted to let it on some days.

He tipped his head back against the trunk of the tree and let the tears come, figuring there was no use in trying to stop it anyway. _It gets easier with time,_ everyone said. Bull-fucking-shit. Every second without the other man here beside him was hell, and it was like living a nightmare, having to continue on like this without Tomas there. 

“Fuck, I really miss you, baby.” He somehow managed to tell the air in between the noise of his incessant wailing. 

Just this once, let him have this, Zero begged internally. Let him have his breakdown as his grief overwhelms him. _Tomorrow,_ he told himself. He’ll be strong again tomorrow. But for now, let him have this. _Please._

“I crossed paths with Kiryuu while visiting Cross.”

Yuuki’s face fell at her brother’s words. “Oh, no. What happened _this_ time?”

“Nothing much. Although he did call me pathetic, among a few other choice words. And a hypocrite as well.”

The woman sighed. “It’s just Zero, Kaname. You know how he is.”

“Yes.” Zero was crass and blunt in his words, he always had been. At the end of the day, it was just how the hunter _was._ “But I am beginning to see that the last bit may not be entirely incorrect. I have perhaps been unfair in my treatment of those below me and... and perhaps I have been cruel to the boy.”

Yuuki did well to hide her shock from her face. She was amazed that Zero, of all people, had managed to get her brother to step back and look at things from a different perspective. Dear as he was to her, Kaname tended to be a bit stubborn and set in his ways. 

“I’m impressed,” she mused. “Usually you two can’t go one minute without verbally ripping each other to pieces.”

Kaname gave a petulant frown.“Yes, well. If Zero wouldn’t antagonize me so much…”

Yuuki rolled her eyes. “Zero has a skewed perception of vampires, and by rising to his taunts, I have to admit, you aren’t exactly proving his perceptions _wrong_ with your actions, Kaname.”

The older pureblood’s frown deepened further. Much as Kaname hated being chastised by his _younger_ sister, she might have had a point or two. “Perhaps.”

“Or maybe you just like yanking on his ponytail.” The woman offered with a smirk and a suggestive wink. “Maybe you just like teasing and picking on him because it gets you his attention.”

In truth, Yuuki meant the words as just a joke, but the more she stopped to examine things, the more it began to dawn on her that she might not have been too far off. Kaname was awfully concerned with Zero, all things considered. He was always watching the hunter, wondering what he was doing and who he was with. Come to think of it, wasn’t it Kaname who also made sure Zero had access to blood back when Zero’s allergy to blood tablets had first appeared?

She glanced at her brother, wondering if he was even aware of his own possible feelings toward the hunter. Likely not, she ultimately decided. After all, he’d been convinced for _years_ that his love for her was romantic and only recently found out that it very much wasn’t for either of them.

“You think… you think I like Kiryuu.” Kaname repeated, dryly. 

She shrugged. “I’m only saying that if it _looks_ like a duck and quacks like a duck…”

“I most certainly do _not_ have any feelings of that sort for the hunter, of all people.” Kaname snapped, unusually angry with his sister for thinking such.

Yuuki raised her hands in surrender, knowing better than to argue with him.“Alright, if you say so.” _But your actions say otherwise, dear brother._ Honestly, it was so obvious Yuuki was starting to wonder how she hadn’t seen it earlier.

“I don’t.” Kaname pressed.

“Alright, alright. I believe you.” Yuuki said, stifling an amused grin. _Who are you really trying to convince here, me, or yourself?_

Kaname couldn’t shake the hunter from his thoughts as he dropped a blood tablet into a glass of wine. _Those odd scars on his chest, what were they?_ For once he found he didn’t know and it bothered him immensely. He firmly shook his head as his mind inevitably began to then drift towards the hunter’s naked body.

Perhaps his sister would have some idea, having grown up alongside the man. “Yuuki-“

The door to his room opens before Kaname can finish speaking, Takuma striding in and his smile growing as soon as he sees Yuuki lounging on the couch. 

“Kaname.” The blonde greets with a customary bow, before striding up to Yuuki and bending down to plant a kiss on her forehead before taking a seat beside her. “How did things go with Cross?”

Kaname turns to look out the window, his own bitter jealousy unable to stand the sight of the happy couple. “As well as expected. He was saddened to hear about the broken engagement, but it seemed to lessen as I assured him that Yuuki and I were both happier with this decision.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Why wouldn’t it be?” Kaname asked.

“You don’t seem all that thrilled about it.” Takuma pointed out. 

“He ran into Zero,” Yuuki told the blonde beside her.

“Ah.” Kiryuu was the one person who never failed to make Kaname angry it seemed. From what he’d heard from Yuuki, it was mutual on the hunter’s end. _Those two…_ Takuma shook his head. It was hopeless to dream of them ever getting along. But that did explain the pureblood’s foul mood.

The pureblood sipped quietly at his wine. Zero Kiryuu was an endlessly confusing enigma. Every single time he thought he had the hunter figured out he only stumbled upon something new about him. He couldn’t pin Zero down. It gave him a headache sometimes, trying to piece together all the odd bits and ends that made up Zero Kiryuu. 

“I think I would like to be alone for a while if you both don’t mind.” Kaname clipped, pain beginning to brew in his head yet again.

Yuuki frowned but stood alongside Takuma. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Yuuki. I just need some time to myself.”

Her shoulders sagged lightly, but Takuma quickly managed to distract the woman with talk of some other topic as he led her from the room, giving his friend an understanding smile as he did so.

With both vampires gone Kaname sidled over to take a seat at the window, leaning against the glass panes and looking out over the dark, silent forest. It usually helped center his thoughts, just relaxing and taking in the view like this. Yet this time, for some reason the silver-haired hunter still stubbornly remained fixed in his head. He downed the rest of his wine with a pensive furrow of his brows.

_Who are you, Zero Kiryuu?_


	2. Chapter 2: Misery loves company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaname is endlessly fascinated by Zero and hasn't a clue what to do about it. So he tries apologizing to Zero. Try, being the keyword. Kain stands up to the pureblood in favor of his hunter friend and Zero drowns his sorrows the only way he knows how - in a bottle of whiskey.
> 
> Someone should probably get Kaname a guide on how to apologize to someone. Cause this isn't the right way at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgot to mention - just like my other story, this one takes place in the canon post-apocalypse universe of VK. Just less technologically advanced than the other story. You'll see what I mean.
> 
> As always, I am willing to sell my soul for comments and kudos!

Waking up, was a bitch Zero decided. At some point during the night he’d managed to find his way back to his dorm though, so thankfully he was in his bed this time at least. The sounds of shouting drifted through the thin walls as students loudly and irritatingly fought in the halls. _Why, oh why, did I let Cross force me into rooming with the fucking students?_

The hunter rolled over and grabbed his spare pillow to place over his head. Fuck it. He was off the clock, let this be the class president’s job. Not that that guy ever did anything, anyway. But he could hope.

_“----No! I’m telling you-“_

_“God---so fucking annoying!”_

Zero groaned and squeezed his eyes tighter as though it might somehow block out the sound. He really was not in the mood to deal with this shit. His clothes from the previous day were still on him, wrinkled and smelling of dried sweat. His breath probably smelled horrible and if he had to guess, he’d only gotten around four hours of sleep. He felt just as shitty as he no doubt looked too.

Finally, he could hear the angry voice of the class president begin to chime in. Zero huffed, annoyance crossing his face as he rolled over onto his back and threw the pillow aside. Right, not getting any more sleep then. He hefted himself up off of the bed and stretched his arms above his head before rising with a grimace and moving across his room. If there was one perk to being a prefect, it would be that his dorm came with his own bathroom.

All the better for him, because Zero loathed the idea of anyone seeing his surgical scars and having to explain them as he had last night. Just thinking about that pureblood fucker’s eyes on him, roving over his body sent shudders of disgust down his spine. There was something so violating about having his privacy invaded like that, having that bastard eyes on him, staring at him like- like-

A wave of nausea rolled over Zero, and he decided that he didn’t even want to know what had been going through that asshole’s sick mind.

Zero paused to observe himself in the mirror before stripping off his clothes. His hair was sticking up in every direction, and there was still a lingering puffy, redness to his eyes. He sighed and looked away from the sight, carefully unclasping the ring around his neck that he’d forgotten to remove the night before and laying it on the countertop. 

_To think that fucker tried to touch it._ Zero’s teeth ground together in annoyance. He could put up with a lot of shit from Kaname. The name calling, the threats, the physical harassment—that he could deal with up to a point. But if he even _thought_ about touching Tomas’ ring again, Zero would put a fucking bullet in him.

Zero’s fingers clenched tightly around the ring for a second before releasing it and taking a deep breath. It was just an accident, a one-time fluke that he ran into the bastard in the first place. It wouldn’t happen again anytime soon if he had anything to say about it, that was for damn sure.

The rest of the day passed by relatively regularly. The shouting incident from the morning was finished by the time he’d emerged from the shower. A stern glower stopped any other little shits from starting a fight, should they get any ideas. His classes passed by as usual and nothing exciting happened, save for the students moaning and groaning about the massive amount of studying and readings piled onto them. He spent his lunch pouring over his notes for a biology review session that the professor had thought to put him in charge of.

The hunter barely had a minute breathe. He didn’t even get a chance to talk to Yori until after classes when they were just waiting around for changeover to start. Ever since everything with Yuuki had happened, he’d gotten closer with the woman and could even call her ‘friend’ now. The one good thing to come out of that was his friendship with Yori.

“Hey,” He greeted, strolling up to where she waited against the gates with her back pressed against the metal bars.

A smile crossed her lips. “Hi, Zero. You ready for class changeover?”

“As I’ll ever be.” He drawled.

“Fair enough.” Yori allowed with a shrug. “You doing alright? You don’t seem so hot. Geez, did you even sleep last night?”

Zero brushed off the concerned hand she placed on his shoulder. “I’m fine, Yori. Really. Just had to deal with a leech, last night.”

Yori frowned at the term they usually used to refer to the vampires, just in case any day class students happened to be lingering by, listening in. “They didn’t do anything to you, did they? I swear if they hurt you, Zero you can tell me.”

“Nah, it was just one of them. Kaname was just being a dick as per his usual. Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

“What did he do? Seriously, Zero, you can tell me. They can’t keep getting away with this.” Yori pressed with a concerned pout of her lips. 

Zero folded his arms. “I was taking a shower, and he saw my scars, alright? There. Now can we please drop it?” This was the last thing he ever wanted to talk about with anyone. Yori was privy to the fa _ct that Zero hadn’t been_ born a male. But that didn’t mean he wanted everyone on the whole campus to know and he’d prefer not to broadcast it by talking about it in public. Where anyone could hear.

Yori’s eyes widened. “You- he walked in on you in the _shower?_ ” She nearly shouted before dropping her voice to a low hiss. “Zero that is not okay! That is _sexual harassment!_ You need to tell someone!”

He rolled his eyes. Yes, that would go over well. “Tell who? I’m a guy, Yori. No one would believe me if I tried to tell them that _Kaname Kuran,_ of all people, walked in on me taking a shower like a perverted freak.” God knows everyone worshipped the ground that prick walked on.

“He can’t just do that to you!”

Zero sighed. “Look, it’s over. Nothing happened. So just drop it, okay? I promise I’m fine. I was honestly more pissed that he touched my ring.”

“Ring?” Yori questioned before eyeing the jewelry around her friend’s neck. “Oh.” She didn’t really know what was up with Zero and that thing anyway. Obviously, she could tell it was precious to him, given how Zero wore the jewelry everywhere and never let it out of his sight. But precisely where it came from and why, remained a mystery to her. Something had always told her it was better not to pry.

Zero stared at the ground aimlessly, though his eyes turned somber. “It- it was a gift. Someone special gave it to me a long time ago. They-“ His throat closed up. “They’re no longer… around.” 

Yori’s face fell in sympathy, and she laid a gentle hand on the man’s shoulder. 

“I’m sorry.” She could only imagine how close Zero must have been with that person to have a ring from them like _that._ It only made her chest ache more for her friend. Nobody deserved to lose someone so precious, especially not Zero. Not when he’d lost so much already.

“So am I,” He muttered to the ground. Then, the hunter straightened once more. “But it’s in the past now, anyway. There’s not much I can do now.”

“I suppose so,” Yori said, though there remained a furrow of concern between her brows even as she stood to attention alongside her friend. The loud sound of a bell ringing filled the air. _Are you honestly okay, Zero?_ She knew better by now than to ask, knowing he’d either lie or brush her off.

The girl moved to follow his eyes where an eager crowd of dark-clad students was amassing, marching in their direction. Yori didn’t even need to turn around to tell that the night class students were emerging from their dorm rooms behind her. 

Yori shared a glance with Zero as they both braced themselves for the inevitable onslaught. _Here we go again._

The doors to the Moon Dormitory opened, and immediately, the crowd went wild with cheers that rang out through the crowd.

_“Oh my god! Kain, I love you!”_

_“Marry me, Ruka!”_

“Get _back!”_ Zero snapped as eager students began to push their way forward, anxious to lay hands on their precious night class students. He gritted his teeth and stopped one of them dead in their tracks with a ferocious glare. The girl immediately stepped back into the crowd, thoroughly cowed.

“Easy, everyone! They’re just students like you and me!” Yori attempted.

Pain bloomed behind Zero’s temples from the surrounding noise. Odd, considering he was quite used to class changeover and the chaos it brought by now. But today? Well, today was just not a good day for his patience to be tried. He was running awfully thin on that particular commodity.

“Hey!” He yelled as another girl tried to edge past him, his temper finally snapping like a thin thread. “Next one who tries anything gets an automatic F in all of your classes!”

“Y-You can’t do that!” A spunky, blonde girl protested even as the others fell silent around her.

Zero set his jaw. 

“Do you honestly want to try me?” She was right, technically. That was far beyond his duties as a prefect or a teacher’s assistant. But these students didn’t know that. Predictably, each one of the students in the crowd fell silent at his threat. “Good, that’s what I thought.”

With that, Zero turned his back on the crowd in favor of keeping an eye on the night class. Most of them weren’t overly fond of the attention the humans paid them. But there were a few (Aidou) who quite enjoyed it (Aidou), and he wouldn’t put it past them to do something stupid (Aidou).

Kain gave him the barest of grins and tipped his head towards the prefect in silent acknowledgment. _Nicely done._ Zero gave him a brief, two-fingered wave that the other vampire returned.

Ruka sneered from beside Akatsuki. “My my, Kain. I wasn’t aware your tastes ran that _low_.”

Kain turned to stare down at her, unimpressed. His gaze suggested that she should quit while she was ahead.

Kaname stopped to greet both prefects ahead of them, as per the usual, thanking each of them for their hard work. “It’s good to see you too, Kiryuu. You’re looking much better after last night.”

Zero stiffened, as a ripple went through the crowd. His face was burning, anger rising up within the hunter at the insinuation of those words. _As if I would ever touch your diseased prick you fucking asshole._

“Go fuck yourself.” He spat

The pureblood smiled, such fire coating Zero’s words. He opened his mouth with a retort on his tongue, but stopped as Kain pointedly stepped between him and Zero. Kaname frowned in annoyance at that.

“Enough,” 

Kaname’s eyes narrowed at the audacity of the man (a noble speaking to a pureblood as though he could tell Kaname what to do, how laughable). It was more than that, though. He grew increasingly agitated at being unable to see or speak to Zero because of Kain. 

“It’s only a bit of harmless teasing, Kain. What’s the harm in that?” This was hardly the first time he had ribbed the prefect and Kain hadn’t intervened before. So why now? _What precisely is your relationship with Kiryuu, Kain?_ Kaname found himself without an answer, and that bothered him. Immensely.

“ _Enough,_ Kaname,” Kain repeated.

The pureblood’s smile fell away from his face, leaving an agitated frown in its place. He couldn’t say why, but he loathed the idea of Kain keeping Zero from him. It made his fangs lengthen in his mouth, urging him to rip and shred and kill.

“Honestly, Kain, what does it matter? He’s only a filthy level D anyway. And a hunter at that.” Ruka snidely commented. “I wasn’t aware you were into _dogs,_ Kain.”

“Ruka, do shut up,” Kaname’s voice was brisk as ice when he spoke. He eyed her out of the corner of his eye with blatant distaste, unsure of why her words bothered him so. _It’s only Kiryuu she speaks of. Why am I so concerned over a level D?_

Ruka shrunk back with an irritated scowl. Shame crawled up her neck at being chastised so. She turned to glare at the ground stubbornly.

“Would you to just get to class?” Zero snapped, sick of the ongoing power contest between Kain and Kaname. Much as he enjoyed seeing the other vampire stick up for him, it wasn’t worth him facing Kaname’s wrath later on. Plus, if this continued, they’d be out here for the remainder of the night.

Kaname broke his glaring contest with the taller vampire for a second, russet eyes flickering over to the prefect as though just remembering he was there. “Of course. Kiryuu is right, we should be going.” 

The pureblood side-stepped Kain with a menacing aura that spoke of future consequences and continued on, holding his head high and steady like nothing had ever happened. Yet inside he was still seething at the audacity of him, coming in between Kaname and Kiryuu like that. 

Yuuki sidled up alongside her brother as they walked, fury rolling off of him in waves. “What was _that_?” She asked with a furrow between her brows. _Was Zero okay? Did Kain do something to him?_ She wanted to ask, but with Kaname’s current mood, she didn’t dare mention the prefect’s name.

“To be honest, I don’t know.”

By now, Yuuki was considerably used to Kaname and his odd quirks. Even before awakening her pureblood side, she’d spent enough time with the man to know most of his strange habits. Such as the way he insisted on drinking blood tablets with wine and his incessant overuse of metaphors. It was fine, though. She’d grown used to it by now, she could handle it.

What she could _not_ deal with, was the constant glances he kept throwing out the window similar to a lost puppy. After the tenth one, she gave up on trying to read the current passage in the textbook. 

“Brother,” She prodded gently.

“Hm?”

“That’s the tenth time you’ve glanced outside.” _Either you’re suddenly very fascinated by trees or…_ “You’re looking for someone in particular, _aren’t you?_ ” Yuuki fought to keep from smiling as she whispered to the man beside her.

Kaname frowned, turning back to his desk. “No, of course not.”

Yuuki hummed knowingly. “You won’t find Zero out at this time of night anyway. His patrol ended twenty minutes ago.”

“I thought it didn’t end for another hour.”

 _Oh, and you just happen to know that, don’t you?_ “Usually, it does. But I overheard him telling Yori that he was taking off early tonight.” The woman explained. “If you’re feeling that guilty, then why don’t you just go and apologize to him?”

The older pureblood pursed his lips. He wasn’t good at making apologies, it was one of the reasons why he seldom bothered. And certainly not with someone who loathed his very existence. 

But maybe it would help him finally free his thoughts of the silver-haired hunter. He was curious about Zero Kiryuu, even more so now. _How are you and Kain acquainted? Why is he the only vampire you tolerate? Who are you, Zero Kiryuu?_ Yes, Kaname wanted to find out everything about the feisty hunter. Perhaps this might be a chance to get some answers.

No one was more surprised than Kaname when he found himself standing in front of Zero Kiryuu’s dorm, hand poised to knock. Before he could do so, the door swung open to reveal the hunter himself. Zero looked disheveled, his hair in disarray and his jacket missing. Even his tie looked mussed on top of his wrinkled shirt.

The pureblood wrinkled his nose as he took in the hunter’s flushed cheeks and the reek of whiskey that clung to him. “You’ve been drinking, I see.” He noted, not bothering to hide the disapproval in his tone.

“Don’t see how that’s any of _your_ business,” Zero slurred. His eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here, anyhow?”

Honestly, Kaname had been asking himself that very question. It was anyone’s guess. But he couldn’t get the silver-haired hunter out of his head. The hunter’s image had continuously plagued his thoughts and his dreams. He couldn’t, for the life of him, figure out what to do about that or this strange feeling in his chest that veered suspiciously similar to guilt. Thus, here he was at the hunter’s door and with no idea where to go from here.

“I wish to… talk.”

“Talk,” Zero echoed. “You want to… talk? With me?”

“Yes. May I come in?”

Zero’s face scrunched up, evaluating the truth of Kaname’s statement. He looked the vampire up and down before stepping aside and flinging an arm out. “Sure, why not? It’s a real _party_ in here.”

Kaname carefully stepped in after the hunter who swayed in his steps before flopping down onto the bed. A half-empty bottle of whiskey sat on the nightstand. It was by no means small. Hell, Kaname was nearly sure that the whole thing would be enough to kill a mere human.

Kaname glanced around at the hunter’s room, unsure of what he’d been expecting yet still somehow disappointed. 

The walls were completely bare. There was no trace of anything personal about it. Only the bed complete with drab blankets and pillows, a desk with a matching chair, a wardrobe, and an adjoining door. It was so… plain. The one window was blocked by solid black curtains, completely blocking out any light. A fine layer of dust covered everything. It was like no one even lived here.

Depressing, he decided. That was the best way to describe it. Depressing and empty.

Eventually, the vampire decided on taking a seat at the desk chair so he could face the hunter lying on the bed. Another bottle caught his eye on the floor, empty.

“Welcome,” Zero announced with a hiccup. “To my humble abode. Was it everything you hoped it’d be?”

“You could say that,” Kaname responded. It was relatively dreary, in his opinion. The blank walls, the lack of anything personal, anything that screamed _Zero._

The hunter chuckled and sat up to recline against the pillows as he reached for the bottle beside him. Zero took a long swig of the alcohol before pulling back and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he set the bottle aside. “So, you came to talk. About what?”

And there it was. The root of all this. Kaname cleared his throat. “I wished to apologize.”

“For being a jackass? A dick? A piece of shit?” Zero drawled. “Or are you referring to that incident the other night, where you were a total fucking creepy pervert?”

“All of that. I realize that my behavior was not- not appropriate. And I said things that I shouldn’t have, and I now regret.” The pureblood responded with a wince. “I am… _sorry._ ”

Zero laughed. The sound was anything but happy. 

“Oh, so you’re _apologizing_ now, huh? Must be Yuuki’s doing. I mean, who else could make you stop being such a dick. There is something good that can come out of banging your sister, I guess.” He said with a smirk before reaching for the bottle again and taking a long swig, grimacing at the burn. “Fine. Whatever. Apology accepted or whatever other bullshit you were expecting to hear.”

Kaname nearly snapped at him for that remark before ultimately deciding to let it be. Now that he was here, in front of the hunter, he found a million questions he’d been burning to ask. _What are those scars on your chest? Why is that ring so important? How do you know Kain?_

He asked none of them. Instead, the words that slipped out of his mouth were, “Why are you drinking?”

Zero snorted. “Let me tell you something, Kuran.” His tongue slurred out the pureblood’s name. “People drink for two reasons. Either to have fun. Or to forget.”

It was blatantly evident that the hunter is doing anything _but_ having fun at the moment, which only left one option. For some reason, Kaname was immensely bothered by that fact. Stranger even than that was the thought that the idea of anyone hurting the hunter had his claws lengthening and fangs itching to kill.

He took a closer glance at the man on the bed. Zero’s eyes were red with bloodshot and shined with unshed tears. 

“What happened? What happened to make you want to forget?” Kaname couldn’t resist asking.

Zero shook his head as he stared up at the ceiling. “You wouldn’t understand even if you tried, Kuran.” He murmured. 

“Anyway, what are you going to do now that you know my ‘big secret’? Let me guess, you’re going to tell everyone?” No, that didn’t sound like the pureblood’s style. No, he was more the type to file it away to use as blackmail later, now _that_ sounded like Kuran.

Kaname raised a brow in confusion. “Secret? I don’t follow.”

“My scars?”

“Why would I tell everyone that you got hurt, I presume, while on a hunting mission?”

Zero blinked. “Hurt? On a mission? Give me _some_ credit, I’m not that fucking careless.” He sat up on the bed, fingers reaching to deftly undo the buttons of his shirt. 

Kaname’s cheeks flushed at the implications of the action. He nearly spoke up, telling Zero to stop before the prefect yanked open his shirt, showing him the scars once more.

“Really? Does this _look_ like I was hurt on a fucking mission?” Zero questioned with a flat glance. 

The pureblood looked at the scars. _Clean, clearly healing with minimal scarring so likely had medical attention._

“No.”

“Duh, cause they’re surgical scars, you dumbass.” Zero snapped.

“Surgical scars?” Kaname echoed. He honestly didn’t see where the hunter was going with this, or even why he was explaining this to Kaname of all people, given how much the boy despised him.

Zero rolled his eyes. “You ever heard of those people who were- born in the wrong body? Like, a woman that was accidentally born looking like a guy?”

Kaname nodded. “Yes, I’ve heard of it.”

Zero gave him a flat, unimpressed look. He nodded, as though expecting Kaname to figure the rest out on his own and merely sighed when he didn’t. “I’m one of those people, okay? I was born… wrong. There you have it. I always sort of _knew_ I was a guy, but I was- I was born with girl parts.”

For a long moment, Kaname was unable to do anything else but sit in silence, struck utterly and entirely speechless for once. It was- he’d read of people like that, heard of it. But _Zero?_ He’d never once imagined that the hunter might be one of those people.

 _How many times have I ever seen him bathe, though? And how often did he refuse to join Cross and Yuuki on their trips to the beach?_ _How often has he never once taken his shirt off while exercising, no matter how hot the weather got?_ Come to think of it, he supposed it did make sense. He’d just never bothered to consider that. His guilt for his comments the other night came right back like whiplash.

“I see. I was… unaware of that.” He ignored Zero’s roll of his eyes. “Again, I am sorry for those words I spoke the other night.”

Zero leaned back on his hands against the bed, not bothering to do his shirt up again. “So, what are you going to do now? Use that for blackmail material later?”

“Blackmail?” Kaname wrinkled his nose at the very idea of using such dirty methods. He wished Zero would give him some credit at least. Such methods were beneath him. Moving beyond that little tidbit, however, “I would never use something like that against you, Zero. Surely you know that.”

“Mm, do I? Remember those times you force-fed me your blood?”

The pureblood pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers. “Yes, because you insisted, quite stupidly, on starving yourself and putting the day class students at risk.” Kaname refuted. “But I would never hold something so personal against you. I would _never_ stoop to such low and underhanded methods to achieve my goals.”

“Uh-huh.” Zero drawled.

“You don’t believe me.” 

_“No,”_ Zero gasped in mock offense. “Look, you’ve pretty much done nothing but lie and manipulate people, so forgive me if I don’t completely take your words at face value. Either way? I don’t give a fuck anymore. Do whatever the hell you want.”

Zero leaned back onto the sheets and reached for the bottle of whiskey, yearning for the sweet burn of the alcohol washing down his throat. “I don’t give two shits what you do, Kuran. I, on the other hand, have a bottle of alcohol to finish if you don’t mind.” 

Most days he usually did okay, keeping up his facade of indifference and the scary prefect image of him. But tonight just so happened to be the anniversary of Tomas’ death. The day the accident had occurred. It never got any easier, but tonight? This was by far the worst day of the whole damn year. He really, _genuinely_ needed to be drunk right now. Sobriety made it far too tempting to follow in Tomas’ footsteps. He even had a razor on the bathroom counter and everything.

Kaname stood and gave him a look that, if Zero didn’t know any better, could roughly be mistaken for concern. He snorted at the very idea.

“Very well. I’ll leave you to your thoughts then.” The pureblood murmured.

“Just don’t think this makes us _friends,_ you pureblooded asshole.”


	3. Chapter 3: Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bout to finally earn that 'Explicit' rating, y'all!
> 
> Kaname has it bad for Zero. He just doesn't realize it yet. Zero doesn't get paid nearly enough to deal with this shit. So Cross does the natural thing anyone would do - he forces them to work together by sending them on a hunting mission. There is definitely no way his plan can go wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always - thanks for all the lovely kudos/comments/bookmarks and I'm sorry that I can't respond to them all due to college kicking my ass right now. But I love all of you and I do read each and every one of them! I'm so happy to know you guys are enjoying this story so far! <3
> 
> Though I try to catch most spelling and grammar mistakes, I may miss some so feel free to kindly point out any that you see as well. Love you, darlings!
> 
> ALSO: This fic uses language like cunt, pussy, etc to describe the genitalia of a trans person. Fair warning on that, cause I don't want to trigger anyone's dysphoria.

To be honest, Kaname hadn’t the faintest clue how they got here, with his arms wrapped around the prefect as Zero dragged him into a kiss. Zero’s teeth nipped and pulled at his bottom lip, teasing the pureblood’s mouth open with his tongue in a way that made Kaname groan into the kiss. A growl left him as one of Zero’s hands reached up to grip his brown locks. _Two can play that game_ he decided, sliding his arm on the hunter’s waist down further to grip the hunter’s ass through his skin-tight trousers.

“Mmm- Kana- “Kaname swiped his tongue along the hunter’s fangs, drawing a line of crimson along its surface. Zero moaned into the kiss and tugged him closer, searching for more of that intoxicating, delicious blood. His fingers tightened where they gripped Kaname’s jacket for a moment before the pureblood pulled away. 

Kaname’s lips curled at the sight of the hunter in front of him. Zero’s cheeks flushed with arousal, and his pupils were blown so wide there was only a faint ring of purple left around them. He brushed a thumb over Zero’s lips that were still swollen from their kiss. “Red is a good look for you.”

Zero arched an eyebrow at that and tugged on the pureblood’s hair, pulling him closer. “Shut up and fuck me, Kuran.”

“As you wish.” And then Kaname was picking him up, forcing the hunter to wrap his legs around the pureblood’s waist as he pressed him up against a wall. He pressed a trail of faint kisses along Zero’s jawline before dipping to nip and suck at the delectable, pale flesh of the hunter’s neck. 

“ _Fuck-“_ Zero choked out as Kaname attached his lips right below his ear, the place where his tattoo began. A low whine escaped the boy’s throat as the pureblood bit and teased at the sensitive skin. His cunt began to grow wet from the attention, and he ground against the pureblood, searching for some kind of friction to ease his arousal.

The pureblood’s own cock hardened in his trousers. Zero was intoxicating. His scent, his voice — _God,_ everything about the boy made Kaname want to just _take him._ The hunter unleashed something in the pureblood, driving him mad with want for him. He couldn’t get enough of Zero, no matter how hard he tried. But the sight of darkening bruises and bright red bite marks did send a possessive thrill through him.

“God, Kaname. Just fuck me already.” Zero snarled, pushing at his chest enough that the pureblood let him down on the floor. Kaname’s eyes darkened as Zero hurriedly pulled at his clothing. His tongue darted out to wet his lips as Zero stripped, showing off taut muscles as he did so. 

Kaname hurriedly stripped off his own clothes before picking Zero up once more, burying his nose in the hunter’s neck and inhaling the heady aroma of sweat and arousal. Zero’s wet cunt rubbed against the pureblood’s painfully hard cock, already slick with anticipation of being buried in the hunter’s tight, wet, heat. Were it any other time he would have loved to savor Zero, dive between his thighs and lap at his sweet pussy until the hunter was sobbing from overstimulation. But not now.

He buried his fangs into Zero’s shoulder at the same time he sank his hot cock into the hunter’s soaking cunt. Zero dug his fingernails into the pureblood’s back and tipped his head forward. 

“Aaah! O-oh _god!”_ His breath was hot against Kaname’s neck.

“Sadly, no. You’ll have to make do with me.”

The pureblood eagerly lapped at Zero’s neck, catching every single drop of his blood. _Far too delicious to go to waste._ It was addicting, the flavor of the hunter on his tongue. _Gods, Zero, the things you do to me. It would drive a lesser vampire insane._

“Hah-“ Zero panted wetly against Kaname, fingers desperately tightening against his back. “Shit, you’re _big._ I- _fuck-_ “ Kaname pulled back to draw the hunter into another bloody kiss as he started to move, driving into the hunter with steady thrusts of his cock. Kaname’s lips muffled Sero’s moans and whimpers, noise leaving his mouth with every movement. Waves of pleasure coursed through him with each thrust, each drag of Kaname’s cock against his inner walls making his skin tingle and toes curl.

“Harder!” He begged in a loud whine. “F-faster! I- oh _fuck_ , Kaname-“ 

“Gods, you feel good.” Kaname groaned against Zero’s throat, settling into a punishing rhythm that had Zero clutching at him with desperation and throwing his head back. It bumped harshly into the wall behind him, yet Zero didn’t seem to care. “So tight around me. Like you were made for me.”

The hunter keened as Kaname bent his head, lapping eagerly at a nipple. “Aaah! Ngh- fuck, Kaname!” He was babbling now, unable to think of anything but Kaname and his cock inside of him. His toes curled as the pleasure built with every harsh thrust. Kaname’s fingers were tight on his ass, and he knew he would probably have bruises for a few hours, but that thought that only made Zero wetter. 

Zero brought a hand down to rub at his clit, while the other clung desperately to Kaname. He couldn’t keep quiet, noises from his throat filling the room alongside the wet sounds of flesh. There was nothing gentle about this, it was just hard and rough sex the way he liked it. “S-shit, I’m gonna-“

“Do it. Come for me, gorgeous. Come for me, Zero.”

It was the name that did it, the sound of his name on Kaname’s lips. Zero’s mouth opened in a soundless scream, and his body stiffened. His muscles tightened around the pureblood’s cock, as the world around him went white following his release. 

He went limp in the pureblood’s arms, shaking in the aftermath of his orgasm. “ _Kana-“_

Kaname woke up quickly. His eyes snapped open, glancing around in confusion for a few seconds before it sank in where he was. Of course. He was back in his room in the moon dormitory. Alone. Something akin to disappointment stung bitterly in his throat.

Beneath the sheets, his cock was still hard, as evident by the apparent tent. Maroon eyes fell closed, remembering the feel of Zero, tight and warm around his cock, his arms holding the hunter up as he-

“Shit,” Kaname dropped his head into his hands. If anything, his cock only hardened further at the memory of his dream. He could try to write this occurrence off as no more than a bodily function, but even he knew that would be a lie. It wasn’t the first time the silver-haired hunter had shown up in his dreams of this… particular nature. Not since that incident a week ago had he been able to get Kiryuu out of his head.

Outside dusk was settling over the sky, indicating time for Kaname to ready himself for class changeover. Willing his ‘problem’ to go away and not succeeding, he stood and made his way over to the adjoining bathroom. A cold shower should do the trick.

It didn’t. 

And Kaname was left to deal with his aching erection on his own. He tipped his head back beneath the spray of icy water and wrapped a firm hand around his cock. His mind immediately conjured up images of a certain hunter. _Zero with his lips red and swollen, wrapped around Kaname’s cock, staring up at him with those purple eyes of his. Zero groaning into his shoulder, legs wrapped around the pureblood as he fucked into him hard and fast. Zero with his hands fisted in Kaname’s sheets._

Come to think of it, he still didn’t know whether the hunter’s genitals would look like those of a woman or a man. Kaname found he didn’t care even in the slightest. After all, he’d had his fair share of bed partners of both sexes through the years and enjoyed it all the same in the end.

With thoughts of the hunter haunting him and filling his head, Kaname found his release quickly. White spurts of cum coat his stomach and his hand afterward, while he stood there panting under the chilly water. It took a few long seconds before his brain was able to fully comprehend precisely what just happened. _I just brought myself to release thinking about Kiryuu of all people._

It was ridiculous. Laughable, really. What exactly was that hunter doing to him? The pureblood shook his head and washed the come off of his body. _It’s only lust, perfectly natural._ Zero Kiryuu was definitely not hard on the eyes, anyone could see that. Honestly, it wasn’t that far-fetched of him to want the boy. And since Zero would never find out about Kaname’s fantasies of him, all was fine, really.

Kaname stepped out from the shower and silently made his way back to his room, glancing at the time and deciding to pour himself a glass of wine before class. He dropped a blood tablet into the glass, watching it fall to the bottom and dissolve. His thirst was killing him.

He’d barely taken a sip when someone knocked on his door. The pureblood schooled his features into something that didn’t portray the irritation he felt before he cleared his throat and called out to his visitor. “Enter.”

Thankfully it was only Takuma. He was hardly in the mood to face Ruka and Aidou or deal with their petty squabbles. And he _certainly_ wasn’t fond of speaking to Kain either, though that notion seemed to be mutual given how the noble had appeared to be avoiding him as of late.

“Kaname,” Takuma greeted with a bow before rising and wrinkling his nose. “It smells odd in here.”

“Did you need something, Takuma?” Kaname interjected bluntly.

“Hm? Ah yes, Cross sent me. He requests your presence in his office.”

Well, that was odd. The pureblood frowned. “When?”

“At once.”

“I see,” It wasn’t the best time, requesting to meet with him right before scheduled class changeover. _And the only time I’ll see Kiryuu,_ a voice whispered. “Thank you, Takuma. I suppose I should go and see what he wants.”

Another bow. “Of course, Lord Kaname.”

“Dismissed, if that is all.”

Takuma gave him a brief smile before turning on his heel and making his way out of the pureblood’s rooms, leaving Kaname to finish his drink in peace. 

Kaname’s thirst lessened as he downed the rest of his wine. Though he found himself wondering what on earth Cross could want. Was it about the wedding, perhaps? Cross had seemed rather disappointed with the news. Yet somehow Kaname doubted that. Well, there was only one way to find out, anyway.

An annoyed groan left Zero’s throat as noticed Kaname approaching him in the long hallway as he waited outside Cross’ office. The hunter leaned back and braced himself on the wall and ground his teeth together. _Oh great._

“What the hell do _you_ want?” Zero drawled. The hunter folded his arms with a scowl, nose wrinkling at the smell of the other vampire.

Kaname merely glanced at him coolly in return. “Cross has asked for me if you must know.”

“Oh really, and where did his _royal highness_ hear that?”

“Takuma told me,” Kaname said, pointedly ignoring the sarcastic nickname.

“Ha. Funny. Unfortunately, Yori told me the same thing.” Zero told him flatly and straightened where he was. “So I hate to break it to you, but I think your little lackey fed you bullshit.”

“Takuma wouldn’t lie to me,” The pureblood insisted with a frown. He’d know it if he did. Takuma was a terrible liar. “Perhaps Cross simply made a mistake.”

“Or the man’s finally going senile,” Zero muttered under his breath. He stood from where he was leaning against the wall. What reason could he have to try to force Kaname and him into the same room together? They were like oil and water. They just didn’t _mix._

“Perhaps we should just ask the man,” Kaname offered. He swept a hand towards the wooden door before them. “After you.”

Muttering something about ‘getting it over with’ under his breath, Zero strode forward, shoving the pureblood’s arm out of the way. He didn’t even bother to knock before harshly yanking the door open.

Cross looked up from his desk where he’d been hunched over paperwork, pen still in hand. He set it aside, smiling at the sight of them. “Zero! Kaname! Come in, please have a seat!”

Zero pursed his lips, noting absently the stiff grace that the pureblood asshole carried himself with. _Arrogant bloodsucker._ “Yeah, no. I think I’m good.”

“How rude, Kiryuu.” 

The hunter raised his brows at the older vampire. “Coming from you? I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Now, now. Play nice, you two.” Cross chided as Kaname elegantly took a seat across from the man. The older hunter folded his hands together before him, setting his arms on the desk.

“It’ll be a cold day in hell when I ever get along with this prick,” Zero grumbled. He preferred to linger against the tall bookshelf in the office rather than ever sit beside that pureblooded bastard. The younger hunter crossed his arms and glared at the old man. “Let’s just get this over with. What do you want, Cross?”

Cross let out a heavy sigh. “Oh, very well. What do either of you know of a village called Ivorgarde?”

Zero straightened at that. Ivorgarde wasn’t exactly close to the academy. A trip that far would cost maybe a week if one made good time with little to no sleep in between days of riding. Less so, perhaps, if one decided to risk going through the wastelands but that was a _death wish_. It was a small little village that sat at the base of a treacherous mountain range. Mountains that were often coated in slick ice and crumbling, uneven rocks that threatened to fall at any moment. Not many dared to venture over them for obvious reasons. 

“I know of it. Didn’t you send Nains and Bishop there not more than a month ago?”

Cross gave a small nod. “That I did. Nains and Bishop were both sent to search for a trio of junior hunters that turned up missing a few weeks before they left. Unfortunately, after three weeks, we lost contact with them as well.”

“I still don’t see what this has to do with _him,_ ” Zero countered and jerked a thumb at Kaname.

“I am getting to that.” Cross firmly said with a pointed look towards his adopted son. 

“Now, as I was saying. Ivorgarde, along with several other villages in the area, has been experiencing a series of grisly killings recently. Which was why I sent those hunters there in the first place. People and livestock alike were all turning up dead, reduced to nothing more than a pile of bleeding innards and ribbons of flesh. In addition to that, we have reports of odd noises heard during the night. Howling, scratching, that kind of thing.”

“Were any bodies found in town?” Zero asked, straightening. It was odd to hear of vampires venturing into such a populated area, but it wasn’t _entirely_ unheard of. Still, gruesome, drawn out deaths didn’t sound like any vampire he’d heard of save for perhaps a level E. Surely Nains and Bishop wouldn’t have had a problem dispatching a few level Es if that were the case though.

Cross nodded and pushed his glasses further up his nose, adjusting them slightly. “Yes, They even found a few slaughtered just steps from their front door.”

The younger hunter’s brows furrowed, and he tilted his head slightly. “So that rules out wolves. They wouldn’t venture that close to humans.” It could be a bear, but Ivorgarde wasn’t particularly known for having many bears around and once again, bears were not fond of venturing close to humans. “ Do you think it’s a werewolf? I thought they were supposed to leave humans alone.”

“Indeed, they are, according to the terms we established with them years ago,” Cross answered with a slump of his shoulders and a pensive frown. “Which is disconcerting. We need to find out what’s happening in Ivorgarde and the surrounding villages. If this is more than just a rogue wolf and werewolves have decided to start hunting humans again, then we have a _huge_ problem on our hands. I want you and Kaname to go to Ivorgarde. Find out what you can about this and take care of it quietly.”

“You _what_?” Zero echoed, freezing where he stood with wide eyes.

Even Kaname blinked in surprise at the older hunter. “I’m sorry, I believe I misheard you, Cross. You wish for me to hunt this wolf, with _Kiryuu?”_

“He’s not even a hunter!”

“No, he isn’t,” Cross agreed with a sigh. _Why must you always make things difficult, Zero?_ “But whatever creature is killing these humans has killed vampires as well. Dozens of them. As you can imagine, The council isn’t very pleased about that. And of course, it would greatly improve relations between hunters and vampires, with the head of their council working with the heir to the association.”

“Are you joking? You- seriously, this has to be a joke,” A humorless laugh escaped Zero’s throat as he gestured wildly at the pureblood. “You honestly expect me to work with _him?”_

“Yes, I do.” Cross rubbed at his forehead. Trust Zero to always be so stubborn. He blamed Toga for that in large part. “Zero, someday you will be the head of the association. Whether you want it or not. It’s time you let go of this childish hatred you have for-“

“Childish hatred?” The younger man echoed in disbelief. “I highly doubt it’s fucking childish considering one of _his kind_ fucking killed my family and ruined my life!” 

“I understand your anger, Kiryuu,” Kaname spoke finally, irritation leaking through his voice. It bothered him more than he cared to admit, hearing the loathing and venom in the boy’s voice. “But I am not Shizuka Hio. You cannot force all vampires into one category only to suit your prejudices.” 

Much as he wished it didn’t, the aversion and disgust in Zero’s voice smarted. All the loathing in Zero’s voice stung like salt in a wound he never knew he had.

The silver-haired boy turns away with a scowl etched in place. Vampires had taken everything from him. They took his parents, his brother, his sister and even the remainder of his fucking life thanks to that stupid bite. And when that wasn’t enough, they had to go and take the person he loved. Every damn thing he’d ever had, ripped away from him by those bloodsuckers. While they lived happily in their plush mansions like kings. _Arrogant pieces of shit._

No, his hatred is justified. He’d _earned_ his contempt, his right to be angry. No one would take that away from him.

“Fine,” He gritted out, looking determinedly away from the pureblood. Zero could do this. He _would_ do this. Just a simple job—in and out, no problem. _I can deal with this asshole for a few weeks._ “But when this moron gets himself hurt or killed, I am _not_ going to be responsible.”

Kaname’s eyebrow ticked with annoyance at the ‘when’ not ‘if.’ “I assure you, I am more than capable of taking care of myself, Kiryuu.”

The hunter gave him a suspicious glance and looked him up and down. Specifically, Zero gave the pristine cloth uniform and the pureblood’s soft hands that had clearly never seen a day of work in his _life,_ a sneer. “Guess we’ll see, won’t we?”

“Excellent!” Cross exclaimed with a happy clap of his hands, oblivious of the rising tension between both vampires. He waved hurriedly at both vampires. “Now go, shoo, pack your things. You’ll leave at first light.”

Zero groaned at having to deal with Kuran so soon. He was hoping he’d at least have a few days’ reprieve before heading off. It seemed luck was not on his side today. “Whatever. Just meet me in the stables tomorrow, Kuran.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I'd add for clarification: Though Kaname calls Zero a 'boy' sometimes, Zero IS of age in this fic. I like to imagine he's around 20/21 in this story if you want exact numbers. 
> 
> Kaname 100% has a thing for the age difference between them, with him being an ancient pureblood and all and I will go down with that headcanon.


	4. Chapter 4: One step closer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaname realizes he may or may not be in lust with a certain silver-haired hunter and Zero begins to realize that he might have misjudged the pureblood for all those years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovelies! As always, thank you for the lovely comments and kudos as they really inspire me to keep writing this story!

Zero woke bright and early the next morning, forcing himself out of bed before the sun was even up. His bag containing a bit of food since hunting might not be possible for a while with the route he was planning to take. Hunting in the wastelands was just asking for trouble, and not even Zero was that thick. In the bag as well were several bottles of fresh water, medical supplies, and other items that might come in handy. There’s a saying amongst hunters. _Better over prepared than underprepared._

Well, that and one other common phrase. _Those who enter the wasteland are either stupid or suicidal._

Zero figured he must be both.

The brown bag was packed and laid in the corner of his small room and ready to be secured to a saddle. Along with a rolled-up tent, sleeping mats and the usual gear he stored away for longer hunts. That’s all this was. Just a regular hunt, away for a few weeks. Albeit with extra baggage this time.

He took his sweet time in the shower that morning, savoring the warm, clean water on his skin. It would most likely be a while before he got to have this again, so he’d take the time he had. When his fingers finally pruned under the water, he decided it was finally time to step out. While dressing, he eyed the ring on the countertop, hesitating briefly over wearing it or not. It was a dumb idea with Kuran around, but without it, he felt strangely naked. 

_Fuck it._ Zero reached for the familiar necklace and fastened it around his neck before tucking it beneath his shirt.

The hunter made a brief stop in the cafeteria to snag a protein bar and some coffee. He would need it. His stomach was too queasy to hold down much else though, filled with the usual jitters most hunters get right before a job.

After forcing down a bit of food, Zero lugged his packs over to the stables across campus. There, White Lily greeted him with a leisurely swish of her tail and impatient stomping until he walked over to greet her. 

“Hey, old girl,” He soothed, petting her muzzle softly. Next to her was the other horse that would be Kaname’s. A much tamer and younger chestnut gelding, one who looked to be asleep now where he stood.

White Lily was rarely easy to saddle, and this time proved no different. She seemed to constantly fidget and squirm underneath Zero’s touch or sucked in her breath, forcing him to redo the whole process. It took an entire hour and half a dozen sugar cubes to bribe her enough that Zero could place the saddle on her.

“See? That wasn’t so bad now, was it?” Zero smoothed a hand down over her big muzzle, smiling when she pressed into the touch. The horse nickered at him and leaned forward enough to nibble on strands of her human’s silver hair. A chuckle escaped Zero as he stepped away. “Hey!”

White Lily stared at him with her big, dark eyes, not an ounce of remorse in her gaze. She sighed in soft disappointment at both the lack of Zero’s attention and any more sugar cubes she thought to weasel out of him.

By then the chestnut gelding, named Zephyr had woken up and looked on in curiosity at the whole scene. Thankfully he took to saddling much easier than the cranky mare beside him and let Zero suit him up without a hitch. 

“You could learn a thing or two from him,” The hunter drawled with a glance at White Lily. She snorted, as though finding the very idea preposterous. It earned her a light chuckle from Zero though.

White Lily had been Zero’s only constant companion as far back as he can remember. Ever since he’d raised her from a foal, she’d understood him in a way that no one—not even Yuuki, had understood. When Zero needed space away from everyone? White Lily was always there to offer silent comfort, without added, unwanted conversation. When he needed a distraction or to be on his own? She was always ready to go for a ride, carrying him far and fast across the school grounds and through the forest. And on the rare occasions that the hunter needed a swift kick to his ass? She was happy to offer that as well—accompanying bruises free of charge. 

Zero didn’t let himself get close to people. There was just too much headache and heartache involved with emotions and feelings, and just, _no thanks._ But White Lily wasn’t a person. She was his friend, his confidant, his constant companion. They’d been through thick and thin together—the old mare having carried him through at least a dozen missions and saving him from a few close calls. There was a bond between the hunter and White Lily, one that Zero wouldn’t give up for anything, no matter how stubborn she was.

Zero heard the doors to the stable creak open simultaneously as the unmistakable scent of pureblood invaded his nose. He turned to greet Kuran with pursed lips and stopped.

“What is that?” Zero asked dryly. His eyes roved over the pureblood’s clothing. A dark blouse, loose trousers, and shoes that looked more fit for literally anything other than riding. The hunter raised a brow and folded his arms.

The hunter was dressed much differently. He wore a strange-looking dark gray and black jacket that crossed over his chest in different places along with a pair of thick, brown leather boots. Zero’s pants were black and made of a much rougher, more durable fabric than the pureblood’s, and he wore a pair of dark gloves over his hands meant for riding. A deep, navy cowl lied crumpled around his neck, connected with a scarf that could be lifted to cover one’s nose and mouth.

“You realize we’re hunting a werewolf, not going to a gala, right?”

“Of course, I do.”

“Because that isn’t fit for riding at all,” The hunter told him with a gesture towards the pureblood’s outfit. “Give me a second. Wait here.”

Zero turned and disappeared for a moment into the back of the stables, where he set their bags down. He bent down and opened one, rustling around in the crowded bag for a minute or two before emerging triumphantly. 

There was a bundle of thick, dark clothing in his arms when he returned to Kaname. He held a pair of riding boots somewhere around Kuran’s size, an armored vest and a hooded cloak along with a dark cowl. He’d almost snagged an extra pair of his own pants and a spare shirt, figuring they’re close enough in size before looking back at the pureblood. No, scratch that—there was no way the hunter’s clothing would fit the pureblood. For fuck’s sake, the man was built like a damn _tree!_

“Put these on.” He demanded, shoving them into the pureblood’s arms. Unfortunately, the pants and the shirt would just have to do for now.

Kaname gave him a shrewd look at being ordered around but reluctantly did as he was asked. He tugged on the thick coverings over his own clothing before looking at Zero with confusion on his face. “Can I ask why the cowl?”

Instead of answering him, Zero spread out a sheet of parchment on a nearby table and waved him over. 

Kaname followed, standing over the hunter’s shoulder to look at the dark ink spread across the page. It was a map, he realized. Illustrating Cross Academy and the forest surrounding it, along with the nearby village and a dark stain above all of that. Beyond the stain laid small, jagged lines drawn to represent mountains.

“When was the last time you even left town?” The hunter asked with a quirked brow.

“Most likely years ago. I don’t often find that my business takes me away from the Academy, and when it does, the routes I take are well-traveled.” Kaname admitted with a shrug.

“Figures,” Zero muttered before gesturing to the map. “See that spot?” He jabbed a finger at a spot of ink beyond the mountains, surrounded by more drawn trees. 

“That’s Ivorgarde, where we’re going. Now ordinarily, most people would just take the long way around the mountains over here. But that takes weeks, and we don’t have that kind of time.”

 _Dozens of people and vampires dead already,_ that was what Cross had said. “No, we don’t.”

“So, we’re going to go straight through the mountains,” Zero announced. “I know of a pass that shouldn’t be too risky this time of the year, except for the occasional group of bandits. But to get to those mountains, we have to go through the wastelands.”

“Sounds charming,” 

Zero chuckled darkly at the sarcasm in the pureblood’s tone. “Yeah. Believe me, they have their name for a reason. Even now that area is teeming with radioactive fallout, toxic water and air that can burn your skin down to the bones if you’re exposed to it for too long. Our vampirism would make sure we survive, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t painful as shit. That’s what the cowl is for.”

“What about the horses? Won’t they be affected as well?”

“Nope. White Lily and Zephyr here are black bloods, a rare breed. It means that the toxins in the air won’t hurt them as badly as it does us.” 

Unfortunately, it was also painting a target on their backs. Black bloods were rare and sold for a pretty price. Ah well, they’d just have to watch their backs then.

Then Kaname turned his attention to both horses. Zephyr looked to be the calmer and more docile of the two, with a sleek chestnut coat and his head lowered as he fixed the pureblood with dark eyes. 

White Lily, however, towered over the other horse, her smooth white mane and coat brushed and cleaned. She pinned her ears back at the pureblood, front feet stomping on the ground. She dwarfed Zephyr in comparison and easily stood above him and Zero.

The pureblood stepped back from the mare.

“Hey,” Zero chided her softly as he adjusted the bags on her side. “Play nice.” 

In response, the mare gave a soft nicker and butted her head against the hunter’s shoulder. Zero allowed a rare smile to grace his features as he reached up to pet her muzzle, rewarded by her pushing her head further against the hand.

Kaname’s gaze softened as he watched the two. It wasn’t every day he—or anyone - got to see Zero like this, unguarded and happy, bereft of his usual glare or scowl. He stared longer than he cared to admit at the faint trace of smile adorning Zero’s features, before turning away as Zero’s eyes flickered over to him.

“So, what dangers can we expected in these wastelands?” Kaname questioned instead, trying to chase the hunter from his thoughts.

The hunter sighed and frowned to himself. The more he thought about this plan, the more idiotic it sounded. “Well, that’s the thing. No one knows. They’re sort of a dead zone. No one bothers to venture in most of the time and those that do- “

“Never make it out.” Kaname finished for him.

“Got it in one. Not to say that none live. Some do, but their stories are usually wild enough to be passed off as bullshit. Or drunken ramblings.”

Ah, so they were heading into this endeavor near blind then. “Lovely,”

Zero smirked slow and cruel as he cocked a hip and looked at the pureblood. “Aw, don’t tell me your scared, Highness?”

“Of course not.”

Zero snickered quietly under his breath at the vehement denial. 

“Sure, sure. Whatever you say.” They’d be fine anyway. As a hunter, venturing into dangerous territory and whatnot came with the job, so this was far from unusual for Zero. Having a powerful pureblood was a bonus. The hunter was confident that together they’d be able to handle anything that crossed their path.

White Lily’s nostrils flared as the pureblood accidentally drifted closer to the mare and she pinned her ears back against her head. She gave a few angering stomps of her hooves and swished her tail in agitation. Kaname stiffened and took a cautious step backward.

“Oh, I’d be careful around Lily. She’s got one hell of a temper and doesn’t take kindly to people.” Zero informed him belatedly. “Don’t worry, you won’t be riding her. You’ll be riding this young one over here, Zephyr.”

Zephyr greeted the pureblood much more calmly than the mare. He looked hesitant at first but quickly warmed to Kaname’s presence with a few apples and sugar cubes. Within a few moments, he was pushing his muzzle into the pureblood’s hand with a happy little whicker.

“I can see you’ve been busy,” Kaname noted with a look towards the bags each horse was carrying.

The hunter blinked at him, unsure whether that was a compliment or an insult. It sounded like a compliment more than the latter, which made it even odder to hear it out of Kuran’s mouth. Call him paranoid, but Zero couldn’t help but be suspicious.

“That I have.” He settled on as a neutral response. Zero tightened a strap on Zephyr’s saddlebag and buckled it closed.

“He’s all yours,” Zero announced, stepping away from the gelding and letting Kaname approach him. His eyebrows rose in mild surprise at how easily the pureblood hefted himself up into the saddle, easily taking hold of the horse. The familiarity in his grip was surprising.

“I used to ride,” Kaname said for a way of an explanation when he saw the hunter raising his brows. “Quite often, in fact. It was one of the few past times I enjoyed.”

“Why’d you stop?”

“Life got in the way,” The brunette murmured. His eyes were somewhere far away when he spoke.

The hunter got the distinct impression he was approaching a tender subject, and it sent an uncomfortable shiver down his spine. 

“Well, much as I’d love to stay here chatting all day, we’re burning daylight. Let’s get going.”

The first few hours of their journey were less than eventful. Zero led White Lily ahead of the pureblood in silence, sitting rigid as a statue upon the mare, with Kaname following a short way behind him, dark hood pulled up over his head. 

Not only because of the sun. No, it had been years since he ventured out beyond the village, but his odd appearance wouldn’t go unnoticed—it hadn’t back then, and it wouldn’t now.

Zero handled the stubborn, ill-tempered mare with ease. He steered her with a firm hand and kept her in line, not that she seemed to fight the hunter much. No, she seemed happy to go along with whatever the hunter on her back decided. Then again, this was probably routine for them Kaname realized.

Sounds of twigs breaking underfoot and wildlife scurrying around in the trees above them, and the surrounding bushes were the only sounds that filled the air. Overhead sunlight filtered through branches, shadowing on shapes on the ground. 

And then the woods abruptly stopped. There was no other way to put it. The trees and greenery came to a sudden stop, bordered by miles and miles of a thick fog before them. Zero halted and let the vampire step up beside him.

Through the dense mist, he could make out putrid, black water interspersed with sodden, black ground, and misshapen trees. A horrid, sulfuric smell filled the air and Kaname could hear something _not-quite_ water lapping at a shore. It sounded too thick and viscous to be water, yet the thought of it being anything else was disturbing enough for him to dismiss it.

Hot, vicious winds whipped at the pureblood’s face when he looked up, his skin reddening as it burned. He yanked his head down with a hiss. Odd, misshapen trees jutted out of the swampy ground ahead, bereft of all leaves or foliage.

“Here we are,” Zero announced dryly. He swept an arm out ahead of him as he tugged his scarf up over the lower half of his face. “The Wastelands. In all their glory.” 

There was nothing ahead of them as far as the eye could see except dank swamp. No wildlife to be seen. Even the plants looked oddly shaped and discolored. The sky had an unhealthy green-yellow tint to it. The hunter’s vision wavered in the heat, and he forced down any trepidation. Zero yanked his cowl up to cover his nose and mouth before grasping the reins again. 

An old, wooden walkway stood above the muck of the swampy lands, rotted in places and bent or broken in others. Far from ideal, it would have to do. The alternative would be to wade through the water laden with all kinds of toxic chemicals, and _god knows_ what else. Zero would take his chances with the walkway.

Zero nudged Lily on and tipped his head down to avoid the stinging winds that tugged at his clothes with harsh movements. It didn’t stop his eyes from watering as he moved. Every step was a fighting effort, pushing against the chaotic winds and stifling humidity. At some point, he wasn’t even sure that Kaname was behind him anymore, but he couldn’t risk looking back. 

Sometime later, the storm—or whatever it was—calmed down and ceased. The winds settled into an oppressive heat that laid over the wastelands like a blanket. Zero glanced around and found Kaname still behind him on the walkway, miraculously.

“Why do you continue to loathe your own kind so much?” Kaname asked suddenly, breaking the silence that had fallen across the land as the storm subsided. He knew it was a dangerous question to ask, and he was risking a bullet by doing so. But with only silent mist as their company out here, there wasn’t much to do besides talk. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t curious.

“Thought we already went over this,” The hunter clipped back, scowling beneath his coverings even as he knew Kaname couldn’t see it.

“Yes, but you haven’t told me why. Does it not get tiring, hating yourself for nothing more than being what you are?”

“I didn’t choose this.”

“No one does. None of us ever _desired_ to be born a vampire, Zero.” Kaname narrowed his eyes at the boy’s back. “You aren’t the only one who has lost people. Hunters and vampires. We’ve all lost people to the other side. This prejudice of yours is selfish and childish.”

Zero’s grip on White Lily tightened. His knuckles went white beneath his gloves. “Vampires took everything from me. You wouldn’t understand.”

“There are many others who would say the same of hunters, no?” The pureblood countered. “I’ve seen them, myself. Families torn apart or massacred by hunters. _Your kind.”_

“That isn’t-“ Zero stopped.

“That isn’t what? Are you trying to say that not all hunters are like that? That the actions of a few do not speak for all hunters?” Kaname prodded. “There are two sides to every story, Kiryuu.” 

_Not everything is what it seems._ The murder of an innocent was self-defense in the eyes of another. There was always more than one side.

“I doubt it was self-defense when my family was slaughtered in their fucking sleep,” The hunter hissed back, unable to contain his anger any longer. “But oh please, continue to tell me how _dangerous_ my parents were being asleep in their own bed. Tell me how _dangerous_ an eight-year-old child is!”

“That isn’t what I meant, Kiryuu. I never meant to insinuate that your family’s deaths- “

“Oh, fuck you, that’s exactly what you meant.” Zero laughed harshly. “Don’t you dare try to tell me my parents’ deaths were deserved, Kuran. You don’t have that fucking right. Don’t you try to fucking tell me that To- “ 

The hunter stopped himself just short of letting his old lover’s name, leaving his lips. He didn’t want Kaname to know of Tomas, unable to stomach the thought of the other man’s name leaving the pureblood’s lips. Tomas was the one thing he’d had that Kaname had never tarnished with his filthy little fingers. Like hell was Zero letting him touch even the memory of the man.

“What were you about to say?” Kaname questioned, his interest piqued now.

“Nothing.”

“No, I heard that. What was it?”

“Kuran. I can, and I _will_ leave you out here in the wastelands to either slowly starve or death or let some poor animal tear you apart if you don’t _shut the fuck up right now._ Understood?”

For the first time, it occurred to Kaname he didn’t know anything about this place. He hadn’t the faintest clue how to navigate these desolate lands. They were well and truly in Zero’s territory now, his area of expertise. 

In all fairness, he hadn’t _meant_ to anger the hunter. But naturally, Zero drew the wrong conclusions and lashed out in his usual fit of anger. The pureblood sighed. Of course, the deaths of the boy’s parents would be a sore subject, he should have thought before he spoke. It was probably best to let it lie for now.

“Understood.”

Zero urged White Lily into a canter, needing to put distance between him and the pureblood right now. 

They came to a crossroads in the walkway eventually, a large circle with four bridges leading off in either direction. Dark branches loomed ominously over them, casting dark shadows and blocking out the moonlight. In the distance, an animal released a long, wailing noise.

Zero drew to a stop turned White Lily to face him and tugged his cowl down enough he could speak with broken, chapped lips. “Let’s set up camp for the night.”

It wasn’t a question, and Kaname didn’t have a response even if it had been. Purebloods rarely tired but his poor gelding could probably use the rest. He gave a short nod and dismounted from Zephyr. Above them stars twinkled, yet despite night falling, the desolate lands remained as hot and treacherous as ever.

The hunter barked out a sharp word in a language unknown to the pureblood, and the horses stilled before lying down.

“Are you certain they won’t run off?” Not that Zephyr seemed like the type to do so, but Lily looked as though she would do such a thing if only to spite Kaname.

“These two are trained for hunters to use,” Zero explained. “They’re trained to listen to commands. Besides, they’re smarter than they look. If they know what’s good for them, they’ll stay put.” He finished, before removing the tent he’d brought along from White Lily’s saddle.

“You said that not many know what lives out here,” The pureblood commented as Zero attempted to set up their tent on the small wooden platform.

“Yeah,” Zero confirmed.

“I cannot imagine much of anything living out here. It’s so desolate. How would anything survive?”

“Oh, you’d be surprised.”

Zero finished setting up their shelter for the night. It was small—barely big enough to hold both sleeping rolls, but it would have to do.

They mutually agreed that it was best to forego any fire for the night. Aside from the very-much-flammable wood beneath their feet, there was wildlife out here that neither of them had encountered. Best not to draw unnecessary attention to themselves.

Kaname followed Zero into the cramped little tent, zipping up and securing the opening more for the hunter’s peace of mind than his own. In a few deft movements, Zero removed the cowl covering most of his head.

He hadn’t known how much he missed the sight of the hunter. Long lashes batted against pale cheeks, and silver hair stuck up in every direction, tousled and unkempt. Kaname forgot how to breathe for several seconds.

“Hey—you okay?” Zero questioned, leaning close to scrutinize the pureblood. Kaname hid his lengthening fangs behind his lips.

“Perfectly fine,” He clipped, and if his voice was more rough than usual, the hunter either didn’t notice or chose not to comment on it.

“You were staring.” 

“Perhaps I was,” Kaname commented. It was no use denying it now. “I’ve always held an appreciation for the finer things in life.” His voice dipped low, words coming out in a husky purr.

To his dismay, Zero’s cheeks flushed pink at that. He jerked his gaze away from the pureblood, staring resolutely at the cloth wall of the tent instead. 

“Whatever. Just keep it in your pants.” He bit out, concentrating on trying to calm the way his heart quickened at those words. _Only it wasn’t Kaname that Zero envisions but a cocky smirk and a dark ponytail that swung when the taller man moved. A rough, low voice,_

_“Z- “_

Kaname chuckled under his breath. “But you look so pretty when you blush like that.”

“Kuran. I swear to _god_ I will kick you out of this goddamn, fucking tent.” Zero was thankful that his voice didn’t shake, betraying how perturbed he was at the memories of Tomas surfacing. It didn’t make sense. Kaname was _nothing_ like Tomas. He wasn’t even half of the man Tomas had been.

The pureblood backed off at that and raised his hands in surrender. 

Although Kaname had meant every word he said. It was strange that he was just now noticing how _striking_ the Kiryuu boy was. And the fire in those eyes, sparking defiance at every turn, never failed to make his blood race. 

The beast inside of him rose at the challenge it saw presented before itself. _Mine, mate, bite,_ it whispered, urging him on. Oh, how it wanted the other vampire and Kaname was not opposed to the idea himself.

Zero had always stood up to Kaname with no problems, effortlessly spitting venom in his face and disobeying whenever it pleased him. He refused to be kowtowed by the pureblood merely because of his status. He was the only one who could ever match the pureblood—Kaname’s equal. No one could ever come close to the enigma that was Zero Kiryuu.

_Zero tilting his head back in ecstasy, plump lips parting eagerly on a moan._

_The hunter’s pale flesh turning pink and purple under his attention. Zero’s hands tightening in his hair, tugging him closer._

_“Kaname,” Zero’s breath on his lips, whimpering his name._

Images rose unbidden to the pureblood’s mind. He squashed them before his body reacted. Yes, he wanted the stubborn, defiant hunter before him. More than he’d wanted anything in centuries. He wanted to bury his fangs in Zero’s neck, to taste the very blood that flowed in his veins while the hunter writhed beneath him and moaned out his name in pleasure.

“Oi, Kuran,” Said hunter prodded, forcing the pureblood out of his thoughts. Kaname schooled his features into something neutral as he turned towards Zero. _Mine._

Zero offered a bottle filled with fresh water. Meanwhile, the silver-haired boy himself was chewing on some flavorless jerky, after choking down a bland ration bar and washing it down with water. It wasn’t a gourmet meal by any means, but he’d grown used to the flavorless rations by now. Besides, it only had to last until they were out of the wastelands and able to hunt.

“Thank you,” Kaname murmured, accepting the drink. “And I am sorry for what I said earlier. I misspoke. I didn’t mean to upset you, Kiryuu.”

Call him crazy, but whether it was the strange fumes getting to him or something else affecting Zero’s head, but he believed Kaname for once. Maybe the pureblood wasn’t as bad as he thought he was. “Don’t mention it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to point out any grammar or spelling mistakes that might have slipped past me!


	5. Chapter 5: Sensitive subject

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zero has a nightmare and Kaname says some things he shouldn't out of petty emotion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's been a bit of a hot minute now, hasn't it? Good news is that real life is calming down somewhat and with RHDL finishing up, I have more time to edit and post this fic now, esp now that I've finished writing it! (If anyone out there is still reading this, that is, ha ha)
> 
> And if you're sticking around with this fic for this long, just now how much I love you guys so much! I'm really sorry about having to take that hiatus, but I'm back now, I promise! Much love again for dealing with my shenanigans! <3
> 
> Quick warning btw: This fic uses terms like cunt, pussy, clit, etc to describe a trans person's genitalia, in case some of you aren't down with that. Just be aware!

Zero tips his head back, downing a burning shot of whiskey with the movement. Around him hunters of all kinds trade stories over liquor and greasy bar food as they all eagerly struggle to find an excuse to drown themselves in a bottle—the one thing hunters excel at. Fortunately, this time they need no excuse, as a new round of trainees have graduated onto becoming full-fledged hunters and tradition dictates taking them all out for drinks to celebrate. Which is how Zero winds up sitting all by his lonesome at the bar, while everyone around him gathers around tables or shuffle into booths. 

He doesn’t mind though, really, he much prefers drinking on his own with company anyway. There’s fewer annoying questions to answer and less having to pretend to be interested in what his conversation partner has to say. Besides, the crowd is making the whole place begin to feel like a sauna of sorts anyway, Zero having ditched his leather jacket a while ago, now sitting in just a dark tank that showcases the ink running down his arms and a pair of jeans that clings to his hips and legs (that last choice was at Kaito’s insistence that Zero needed to get laid and that the pants did wonders for his ass). 

Of course, said ‘friend’ of his wandered off damn near the moment they walked in the door and is currently chatting up a pair of women in the corner and probably making a fool of himself while he’s at it, considering Zero’s seen him down at least three beers so far and Kaito always _was_ a lightweight.

Downing another shot of whiskey, Zero glances up in surprise as the bartender slides a glass of bourbon across to him, raising a brow in question.

“I didn’t order this. Wrong person? 

“Nope. From the dark-haired fellow at the end,” The bartender explains, jerking a thumb down to the far end of the bar where a smug Tomas sits with a cocky smirk on his face, making Zero scowl and flip him his middle finger before twisting away from the arrogant prick. God, that guy annoys him to no end. 

But booze is booze and far be it from Zero to turn down a free drink, so he picks up the glass of bourbon taking a sip.

It’s clear from the taste alone that it isn’t one of the cheaper options on the menu, its rich, smoky flavor going down the hunter’s throat smoothly and leaving a lingering slight sweetness on Zero’s tongue. He raises his eyebrows and lets his eyes fall closed as he takes another sip from the glass. At least Tomas got his drink tastes right. Zero isn’t so interested in the alcohol though that he misses the person approaching him, cracking one eye open as a presence sidles up alongside him.

“Zero, right?” Comes the deep, velvety voice of Tomas, leaning on the bar’s surface beside him.

The younger man frowns and watches the older hunter’s dark gaze flit to the pale line of his throat as he knocks back another sip before setting the glass down sharply on the bar’s surface.

“Depends on who’s asking,”

The ire in Zero’s voice doesn’t deter the man at all, if anything amusing Tomas as a low chuckle escapes him. “Okay, okay, point taken. Just curious why you’re sitting over here by yourself, especially when I’ve seen several ladies giving you looks now.”

Zero pauses for a moment, eyeing the other man as he tries to determine if Tomas well and truly means what it _sounds_ like he does, because, if he’s being honest, Tomas is far from an unattractive man. The man practically towers over damn near everyone and the muscles beneath his jacket make the younger hunter’s eyes darken. Not to mention that the light stubble covering the lower half of his face has Zero wondering what kind of marks it would leave against his skin. 

Tomas’ eyes flit to the hunter’s lips as Zero’s tongue darts out to lap at a stray drop of whiskey and Zero let his legs fall open slightly, gaze darkening in interest.

“Ladies don’t interest me.” He answers dryly after a while with a tilt of his head and a playful lift of one eyebrow as his purple eyes lock with Tomas’s green ones.

“That makes two of us then,” Tomas says and is it just Zero or is his voice a bit rougher now? “So, what _does_ interest you then?”

Zero hums and pretends to think on that question for a moment. “Wouldn’t _you_ like to know?”

Once more, Tomas laughs. “That I would, yeah. I’ve heard a lot about you, Zero.”

“Oh? What sort of things?” 

“Well, it’s more _seen,_ really. I’ve watched you in the shooting range a few times.” Tomas eyes him with a curl of his lips. “You handle that gun of yours well.”

“Mmm,” Zero murmurs, not really agreeing or disagreeing, his body looser now, with the alcohol thrumming through his veins. Not quite enough to be drunk, but pleasantly distant from his thoughts and certainly not enough to mistake the interest glinting in Tomas’s eyes for anything other than what it actually is. 

An excited trill runs up his spine as he stretches in his seat, shirt riding up to display a sliver of pale skin near his hip, Tomas’s gaze darkens at the sight. 

“You’d be surprised at what else I can do with my hands.”

“Color me intrigued.” 

Zero lets his eyes openly and shamelessly rove over the older hunter, teeth digging into his bottom lip at the sight of tight muscles beneath his jacket. He’s always had a thing for guys taller than him but _fuck,_ Tomas is _huge._ Hell, he could probably pick Zero up like it was nothing, and that thought alone has him growing wet beneath his pants. Kaito was right, he needs to get laid and well - Tomas is just his type. But that doesn’t mean he’ll make it easy for him.

Zero lets Tomas lean forward towards him, close enough that he can feel the other man’s breath on his lips before slipping off the bar stool and twirling out of his grasp. He looks back at Tomas over his shoulder, raising a brow and prompting the older hunter with a lone curl of his finger to follow him.

“Ahh- hah!” A short while later Zero finds himself pressed up against a brick wall, panting against Tomas’s lips as the man drags him into a filthy kiss. He bites at the man’s lips and moans into the kiss as sweet copper invades his mouth, tasting the warm sting of alcohol on Tomas’s tongue pressing against him with a whine, the older hunter seizing the chance to grip one of Zero’s legs with a growl, hiking it up to wrap around his hip. Zero groans at the action and uses it to pull Tomas towards him, licking into the man’s mouth with fervor as arousal pools in his gut. He reaches up to undo the band holding back Tomas’s hair, tangling his fingers in those thick, dark locks.

“And here I thought you didn’t like me,” Tomas murmurs as his fingers dig into Zero’s hips, hard enough to leave bruises in their wake.

“I don’t,” Zero breathes against his lips as he grinds his growing arousal against the older man and inhales the musky scent that clings to Tomas. “God, you’re such a cocky bastard.”

“Arrogant,” Zero snarls as his cunt grows wet beneath the fabric of his jeans. “Entitled.” 

Heat coils in the younger hunter’s belly and his cunt throbs in need, clitoris aching for _some_ kind of friction. “Fuck, Tomas-” Zero groans, breaking the kiss only to have Tomas dive for his neck. 

He tugs on strands of Tomas’s hair, trying to pull him back up for another kiss, leaning in close to-

“Jesus!” Zero shoves him back as he sees the thick red blood dripping from Tomas’ mouth. 

Zero claps a hand to his neck in horror and it comes away red. Even the ground beneath his feet is soaked with blood, inches of it rising around him like a flood and Tomas stands with wobbly, unnatural movements, like a puppet jerking on strings, looking at Zero with red, red eyes and a sharp smile full of too many teeth.

“Tomas?” Zero questions with horror coloring his voice. He reaches for his gun, his trusty Bloody Rose that he would never be caught dead without. But it isn’t there - there’s nothing but an empty chain around his waist. He pulls himself away from the wall and stumbles back from the creature in front of him as it advances towards him.

Tomas twists his head with a snap and when he looks back at Zero it’s with graying, unseeing eyes. His skin fades to a deathly gray and Zero retches onto the floor, even as the corpse continues to shamble towards him without even a sound. Just the drip-drip-dripping of red from its throat. 

Zero blindly fumbles behind himself with one hand, reaching for the doorknob only to fall back onto concrete. He looks up, finding himself in what may once have been a city. 

Now it lies in ruin - pieces of crumbling skyscrapers and forgotten buildings littering the ground around him and green vines and plants cover near every inch of the place. No, not vines. Long thick ropes of intestine cling to every building, a few of them growing eyes that turn to stare at Zero as he passes. The sky overhead is a dark, ominous black.

“Zero?”

He looks up at the voice, relief flooding his chest at the sight of Tomas above him, normal Tomas without any sign of the monstrosity that had taken his place. His relief is short lived as a clawed hand stabs through Tomas’s chest not more than a second later, emerging covered in blood and tissue before drawing back and leaving a gaping hole.

Zero flinches as droplets of Tomas’s blood hit his face. 

“Oh god - Tomas!” His voice cracks at his lover’s name, the older hunter falling to the ground. Zero crawls over to his still form, clinging to every bit of desperation he has. “Please, please, _please-_ ” He’s not even sure what he’s begging for anymore. Tomas’s dead gaze is the only thing to greet him. “Tomas!”

A scream caught and lodged in Zero’s throat as he jerked awake from the dream, quickly silenced by a heavy hand pressing down on his mouth in the dark tent. His eyes widen in panic and flit around the darkened tent before landing on Kaname, the pureblood locking eyes with Zero as the hunter’s heart raced in his chest. For a moment, Zero wondered if this is it and the pureblood was going to kill him out there while they’re all alone, with no one to witness it.

But as he watched, barely even daring to breathe, Kaname slowly brought his other hand up and held a finger to his mouth. _Quiet._ Then he turned around to the entrance of the tent and was only then that Zero finally registered the noise outside.

It sounded almost like the noise heeled shoes make on hardwood flooring, the same noise one might associate with a party or some kind of formal meeting. There was something so unnerving about hearing that same noise in the middle of the wastelands though, here, where there weren’t any humans for miles and miles around. 

_Clack clack clack._

The noise was coupled with an odd shuffling and whining that sounded like it was right next to Zero’s ear. No, that wasn’t quite right—it was more of a low, drawn-out wail that warbled and shifted almost like someone moaning in pain, attempting to form words of some kind. It was distinctly unlike any animal he’d ever heard before. A chill ran down the hunter’s spine at the unnatural sound. He’d never heard anything like it in his life and he found himself creeping forward to look out the tent with Kaname.

A gasp left Zero’s mouth at what he saw, the sound of which was muffled thankfully by Kaname’s hand secured over his mouth firmly. His hand reached behind him and connected with the cold metal of Bloody Rose before Kaname gave a slow, shake of his head that Zero’s first instinct was to disobey. The hunter stilled his hand.

The- _thing_ stood on the opposite site of the crosswalk. There was no fur anywhere on its body; only red, blistered flesh that hung down in leathery strips around _stubs_ of bone that might once have been paws. _That must have been the clacking sound,_ Zero noted absently. He saw why Kaname wanted him to be quiet as well, when the creature turned its head around, displaying a milky white gaze. _Blind?_ It had to be, else it would have seen them by now. 

One of its triangular-shaped ears was missing and along it’s back was a series of jagged, white spikes that looked to be growing from the creature itself. Zero suspected they’re made of bone and- _Jesus,_ he could see a very-much-human arm impaled on one of the spikes and a half-eaten torso on another. 

And then it dawned on him why the noise sounds so strange, so unnatural. It was trying to _mimic_ the sound of a human voice, that must be the reason why it wavered and changed tone. But like one tuning an instrument it just couldn’t get the right pitch, always sound ever-so-slightly _off_.

Yet White Lily and Zephyr slumbered undisturbed, and the creature seemed most uninterested in the horses, strangely.

Zero fell back against Kaname’s chest, shaking and chest still pounding from his nightmare, the horror before him not making that better at all. Beads of cold sweat rolled down his spine as Zero tried to force down his revulsion while outside the horses slept soundly, blissfully unaware of the danger lurking mere feet away from them. 

It wasn’t only the thing’s appearance that was disgusting either, no Zero’s eyes even began to water from the putrid stench of rotting flesh that filled the air. 

_Jesus fucking Christ._ Zero had been a hunter for years now and he’d never seen anything quite like this monstrosity. He choked down bile in his throat while images of corpses and so _so_ much _blood_ lingered behind his eyelids every time he blinked, unable to shake the remnants of that god-awful nightmare from his head. 

God, he couldn’t get the memory of Tomas’ glassy, unfocused eyes looking up at him out of his head. And for a moment - just a moment, the thing turned and Zero could _swear_ he saw the dead, lifeless face of his lover staring back at him.

After what seemed like an eternity, neither him nor Kaname daring to move, the thing finally lumbered across the walkway and disappeared into the murky, black water. And with a few loud splashes the warbling cry faded into the distance as the creature traipsed back into the wastelands.

Zero brushed Kaname’s arm away from him harshly before scrambling back away from the opening on his hands and knees as a shudder wracked his frame.

Admittedly, he could see why Kaname prevented him from grabbing his gun though—god-only knows what _other_ creatures that sound might have attracted and in the end it likely would have done more harm than good.

“Jesus _fucking_ christ,” Zero murmured between gasping breaths. 

_Glassy, white eyes, cold, gray flesh without that usual smile._

Zero gripped and tugged at his hair with his fingers, willing the image of Tomas to go away but it remained stubbornly set in his mind. “What… was that thing?” 

Kaname seemed just as stunned and taken aback as he was, for what it’s worth though. The pureblood gave a curious glance back at the entrance of the tent, as though he half-expected it to return. Nothing but pitch blackness of night greeted him. 

“I was hoping you would know.” 

_Do I look like a fucking encyclopedia?_ The hunter nearly snapped at the vampire but then, he _did_ know more about this place that Kuran did so if either of them had an answer it would be him. It wouldn’t really be fair to get angry at Kaname in this situation.

Zero all but collapsed onto his sleeping roll, with a harsh grimace, unable to shake the image of Tomas’ dead face fixed onto that _thing._

“The- the radiation and the chemicals out here,” Zero said after a while. “It _does_ things to shit and I don’t mean just the land. It causes these weird mutations and shit and the result is things like _that._ ” He explained with a gesture toward the gaping darkness beyond the tent. 

But all he saw was _Tomas Tomas Tomas._ At this point he wasn’t even sure if his nightmare _was_ really a nightmare or some twisted version of a memory. Maybe a bit of both, he thought.

“So then, there are more of those… things.”

Zero barked out a humorless laugh. 

“No fucking shit. Probably.” 

He could see Kaname looking at his hands, how they shook as Zero clutched his knees to his chest. “Fuck. Those _things_ on its fucking back. It had- it had-”

“I know, I saw.” The pureblood grimaced at the image. “You were having a nightmare before I woke you.”

Stubbornly, the hunter swallowed around the lump in his throat and looked away. Denial had always been his first line of defense and besides, the last thing he desired was telling all his demons to Kuran of all people. 

“Was I?”

Kaname glanced at him with coolly raised brows, telling Zero he didn’t believe one single word out of his mouth. 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Zero exhaled a harsh breath through his nose.

“No, I fucking don’t, okay?”

“You called out for someone named ‘Tomas’. Who is he?” 

There was something bitter in the pureblood’s mouth at that name. He’d never heard Kiryuu mention anyone by that name before, yet he seemed to be important to the boy and Kaname hadn’t an inkling to why, which frustrated him. He _needed_ to find out more about this mysterious stranger in Zero’s life and what exactly he meant to the boy.

Zero ground his teeth together hard enough to make his jaw ache, twisting around to throw Kuran a glare that just about spat fire. “None. Of. Your. Fucking. Business.”

“Zero-”

“I am going to say this once and only once. Fuck off, _Kuran.”_ The hunter seethed as his chest clenched painfully at his lover’s name. It was like that nightmare had brought every memory with Tomas back to the surface, scraping off the hardened scab to reveal raw flesh beneath. “I said I don’t want to talk about it so just _fuck off._ ”

“I know what it’s like to lose people,”

“You don’t know fucking _shit._ ” Zero growled beneath his breath. 

What the fuck could Kuran know? The pureblood hadn’t lost everyone he cared about because of one fucking bloodsucker and he hadn’t had his entire life ruined in one single night like Zero had. He’d never had to live, when everything he loved and everyone that ever matter was ripped away from him because that was what this world _did_. It took, and it took, and it _took_ until nothing remained, breaking people down over and over again just for the fucking hell of it. 

It wasn’t a nice world, but without those fucking blood-sucking leeches it would be a bit better.

“Who is Tomas?” Kaname pressed, something petty curling beneath his skin and forcing him to blurt the words out before he can curb his tongue. “A lover, perhaps? Or-”

A sharp crack split the air as Zero’s fist connected harshly with the pureblood’s jaw. 

Kaname’s head snapped to the side with the force of the blow and even with his healing abilities there was already a dark bruise forming where pain blossomed across his face. He wondered distantly if Zero managed to break his jaw then decided that he definitely did a second later, after attempting to open his mouth again and wincing in agony.

The pureblood’s resolve crumbled to pieces when he glanced back at Zero—he wasn’t sure he’d ever seen such hatred in the hunter’s dark eyes before. The sight of it made him falter as a heavy, leaden weight that was awfully similar to guilt settled in his gut. 

“God, you are one fucked up piece of shit, you know that? You know what, Kuran? I think the reason you’re so fucking obsessed with everyone else’s relationships is because no one could ever love a monster like you,” Zero spat with red-rimmed eyes, baring his teeth at the pureblood in front of him, in the hopes that maybe some monstrosity from the wastelands will take care of the arrogant bastard once and for all. 

God knows the world would be better off without people like _him._

Zero’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “Is that it, Kuran? Mommy and daddy never loved you enough?” He jeered. “You’re one fucked up bastard. No one could ever love something as disgusting as you.”

The hunter wiped angrily at his face before turning over and settling back down on his sleeping mat without waiting for a response. After all, it wasn’t like Kuran could respond right now anyway with his jaw, the way it was. 

Zero’s fingers found their way to the ring hung around his neck and he ran a finger over the metal surface, before eventually falling asleep like that, one hand curled around the ring Tomas gave him, clutching it tight to his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kaname should really quit putting his foot in his mouth. SMH


	6. Chapter 6: Swallow your pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaname learns more about Zero, which only serves to heighten his curiosity and he finally learns how to swallow his damnable pride.

Slowly, slowly, the sun rose over the horizon and with it a horrid heat that had both vampires waking with clothes clinging to their sweat-soaked skin. Zero woke first, a familiar name on his lips and fingers asleep wrapped around the ring on his chest. He stretched his arms over his head and winced at the dryness in his mouth as he sat up.

He turned to one of the bags and what little food they had remaining. It was enough for about one more day, but beyond that, they’ll have to get out of the wastelands. 

With a sigh Zero took out one of the bland, ration bars that hunters kept on hand for jobs like these - it wasn’t much but it was food. He ripped off the wrapper and sank his teeth in before allowing himself to think too much about it, chewing the rubbery substance for a while before managing to choke it down eventually in small bites and washed the chalky after-taste out of his mouth with water.

Kaname woke shortly after and sat up to blink at the hunter. His jaw was still bruised, but it seemed to have healed at least enough for him to speak.

“Hungry?” Zero questioned in a drawl and held out the half-eaten ration bar in his direction.

“Much as I appreciate the offer, I think I’ll pass.”

Zero shrugged and returned to eating, silently observing Kaname as he reached for the bag and rummaged through it before coming up with a bottle filled with clear water and a tin of blood tablets. Zero pointedly glanced away at that with a barely hidden grimace and held his tongue.

The pureblood silently sipped on the dark red substance, trying not to focus on the underlying chemical flavor it had and instead sneaking glances at Zero when the hunter wasn’t looking. Kaname hadn’t ever seen Zero in anything other than the uniform of the academy, now that he thought about it, making it quite a bit of a shock to see the hunter clad in nothing but loose pants and a gray tank top that clung to his form. 

He eyed the swirling shapes and designs of ink along the hunter’s arms, wondering if there was a story and meaning behind each of them or if he’d simply chosen the designs on a whim. 

“If you’re hoping for an apology, you aren’t getting one,” Zero said, breaking the silence between them. 

“I wasn’t.” 

He should have apologized right then, he _knew_ he should have. But it hadn’t been his intention to hurt the hunter, after all, it’d only been intended as a bit of teasing until he realized that he’d overstepped his bounds. Kaname regretted having done so, of course he did, yet purebloods would be nothing if not for their pride and in this, he is no different.

_Who is Tomas?_ The pureblood still found himself curious after seeing Zero toss and turn among the sheets with desperate shouts of the man’s name. Obviously, someone very dear to Zero, but what exactly was the nature of their relationship? Questions burned at Kaname, a need to know everything about this hunter before him, but he wisely kept silent.

Something unpleasant danced in Kaname’s stomach as he looked at the hunter whose face was pinched into a scowl, uncaring of the fact that Zero smelled of sweat and day-old clothing. But the anger on the hunter’s expression bothered him greatly, likely because he put it there.

A voice in his head whispered for him to just apologize already and Kaname was growing tempted to simply give in to it and eat his pride when Zero spoke up before he could.

“We should get going,” The hunter clipped, finishing the ration bar and reaching once more for the coverings he and Kaname wore. “We’re losing daylight.”

Kaname gave a stiff nod as the moment passed. “You’re right.”

Zero took care of tending to the horses, ensuring both were well-fed and gave them clean water to drink while the pureblood took care of rolling the tent back up along with the rest of their gear. White Lily eyed him and nipped at him when he came close to fix the bags onto her saddle and came away with several brown strands in-between her teeth. 

Kaname let Zero see to her after that, instead focusing on Zephyr who greeted the pureblood with a small, cordial butt to his shoulder with his head.

“We should be able to get out of the wastelands tomorrow if we ride hard,” Zero said, squinting down the wooden walkway laid over the swamp. He glanced down at black, thick waters, debating whether it was worth it to risk leaving the walkway. Then he was reminded of that creature last night and suppressed a shudder. _Better not,_ he decided.

“Might as well get a move on,” The hunter clipped as he hoisted himself up onto the horse and tightened his cloak around himself. “The sooner we’re finished with this shit, the better.” 

He hated the pureblood with a passion. It’d be a miracle if they both managed to make it back without killing each other.

Kaname fell in step behind him on Zephyr and the horses lapsed into a steady gait across the fallout-ridden wasteland. Around them trees creaked and moaned in the wind and black water gurgled and rippled before falling still as soon as one or both of them turned to look all while the foul stank of sulfur and decay lingered in the air. 

After a while odd shapes began to take form in the distance, rigid and solid. As he drew closer, Kaname began to see that it was the ruins of buildings, rising up from the depths of the swamps as nature fought to devour them. Pieces of large, jagged concrete jutted out from murky waters, huge, moss-covered structures that lay fallen and derelict amongst the trees; half of what might have been a skyscraper here, and a fallen brick wall there. 

Zero’s eyes roved over the ruins, Lily slowing beneath him as he couldn’t help but take it all in. Strange to consider that a whole different world had existed centuries before and all of it had been wiped out in the blink of an eye. They had some knowledge of what it might have been like back then; textbooks that mentioned strange, handheld devices able to communicate across great distances and huge metal machines that moved faster than a horse or a human. It all seemed so absurd that anyone would struggle to comprehend it.

Zero thought it was rather painful to even consider as he looked at the surrounding ruins. This—this whole swamp around him—it had _been_ something once, a thriving city full of life and light. Home, maybe, to some, while to others merely a passing stop. Rusted metal signs proudly proclaimed ‘University of—’ the rest was illegible, covered by vines. Broken carousel horses spoke of a happier time. And all of it was gone now, forgotten in a waste land.

_Did they know? Did any of them have any idea what was coming? Sitting comfortably behind their white-picket fences…_ _had any of them known the horrors that awaited them? Likely not._ From stories, he’d heard it had all happened so fast. Rapid changes in the earth’s climate, wars sparking to life all around the globe, and in the end, it had only taken one country launching a nuclear weapon and like dominos, the rest followed suit. They’d never stood a chance.

The world hadn’t ended in fire. No, it had ended in nuclear radiation and the crushing weight of rubble beneath deafening screams. And when it was all over those bloodsucking leeches were the ones to rise from the ashes.

“I’m sorry,” 

The voice of the pureblood interrupted Zero’s thoughts, making him glance over his shoulder with a dubious glare. 

Kaname refused to meet the hunter’s violet scowl. It was no easy feat for a pureblood to cast aside their pride and admit to being wrong, but he told himself it was only because he’d grown tired of the bitter scent of Zero’s sorrow filling the air. 

“I’m sorry for last night. I spoke out of turn.”

“Gee, you _think?”_

“I never meant to hurt you.” 

“You’re bullshitting me.”

Kaname wondered with a pang in his chest, what kind of life Zero must be used to, to dismiss his apology so readily as insincere. 

“I’m not.”

Zero mulled over that in silence for a few seconds. 

“My god you’re _serious,_ aren’t you? Why the sudden change of heart?”

“What change of heart?”

Though the pureblood couldn’t see it, the hunter rolled his eyes. 

“Oh, come on, Kuran, don’t pretend like you’ve ever given two shits about me before. We’ve always hated each other, don’t deny it. So why now?”

“I never hated you, Kiryuu.”

“Yeah? Well, you’ve got a funny way of showing it.”

Kaname huffed in annoyance. Really, this boy had a talent for getting on his nerves. “While, admittedly, you do seem to have a talent for irritating me at times. And you constantly disrespect me and refuse to treat me like anything other than just a vampire-”

“There a point to all this? Or are you just going to insult me?”

“The _point_ ,” Kaname said, miffed at the interruption. “is that despite all that, I’ve never _hated_ you contrary to what you may think. On the contrary, I find myself intrigued by you, Zero.”

Zero was grateful for the dark cloth covering his face, preventing the pureblood from seeing the way his cheeks flushed at that last part. He shook his head to clear it. _Stupid fucking pureblood and his stupid, smooth fucking voice._

“Aw, I knew you had a heart in there somewhere, tin man.”

“Tin man?” 

“Forget it,” Zero gestured absently with his hand in the air, before realizing what it was that the other vampire was waiting for and sighed. “Look, it’s fine, alright? Just forget about it.”

Kaname’s brow ticked in annoyance, strangely perturbed by Zero’s casual dismissal of it all. “It’s not fine, I hurt you.”

Zero let out a bitter laugh. “Join the club. Nothing I haven’t felt before, so it’s fine. I’ll live. Just let it go, Kuran.” 

The pureblood frowned but decided it was better not to push the matter. That was a lesson he’d learned the hard way with Kiryuu and it wasn’t a lesson he was keen on repeating. Sometimes the best thing to do was let the boy be.

They continued on in silence for some time, but it was no longer the awkward, oppressive silence that it was before. Now it rested comfortably in the air between them, covered only by the sound of their horses’ hooves on wooden planks beneath them. 

Over time the ruins began to disappear and fade back into the swamp as the walkway was once more blanketed by trees and tall grass. 

Day began to wane once more until everything was soon bathed in the golden rays of evening sun and Kaname finally began to detest the grating quiet.

“Have you ever been beyond the village, Kiryuu?”

Zero craned his head to glance back at the other vampire. “Why?”

Kaname gave an easy shrug. “You strike me as the kind of man who knows what it’s like out there–out here. Your confidence gives you away.”

The hunter allowed himself a small half-smile at that and tipped his head back to peer up at the sky for a long moment, long enough that after a while Kaname was beginning to assume he would never answer.

“I have,” Zero finally spoke. “Not the wastelands, but other places. Sometimes I feel more at home out here in the wilderness than anywhere else.”

_“Wow,” Zero breathed against the rim of a glass bottle as colorful sparks lit up the sky. Some ways below him, at the base of the hill, the village was alight with a soft, white glow and crowds of people mulled about in festival wear, wandering between booths and stalls. Yuuki had asked him to join her, but Zero declined. Crowds weren’t to his style; he much preferred it like this, taking it all in from a distance._

_“Beautiful, right?” Tomas agreed, stretched out beside him. He loved it when he got the chance to have the younger all to himself like this. It was the one time Zero let down his guard and allowed himself to be open, when he was around Tomas._

_They were currently sitting on an old, slab of concrete with a blanket laid over it and a six-pack of beer laying between them as both hunters gazed at the fireworks lighting up the sky. Tomas felt his own lips curl into a grin at the sight of his lover’s smile. He’d never get tired of that sight._

_Zero blinked as a strand of hair fell into his face and the older hunter reached over, brushing it behind his ear._

_“I wish we could just stay like this,” Zero murmured, raising a bottle to his lips once more and taking a swig, grimacing at the flavor of cheap alcohol but forcing it down all the same._

_“How do you mean?” Tomas asked, sitting up on his side to look down at the other hunter._

_“Just-“ The younger man waved his bottle absently. “Like this. No bloodsucker bullshit to deal with, no hunting, no fucking useless drama. I wish it could be like this always, just you and I.”_

_Tomas chuckled and ducked down to kiss liquor-stained lips. “Maybe it can be.”_

Wishful thinking, _Zero thought as he turned to his lover with a playful grin._

_“How?” He prompted, readying himself for some teasing remark._

_It never came. Instead, Tomas just looked at him with that intense fondness in his eyes before grabbing Zero’s left hand and raising it, never breaking that stare when he pressed his lips to the back of his lover’s hand. “Marry me, Zero.”_

_The breath left Zero’s lungs. He forgot how to breathe, unable to do anything but blink owlishly up at the other man._

_“What?” He finally breathed out. “You’re drunk.”_

_“No, I’m not_ , _” Tomas asserted with a fond roll of his eyes. “Come on, Z. Why not? I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone. Don’t you?”_

_“Of course I love you, you idiot,”_

_“Then why not? What’s stopping you, baby?”_

_“We’ve only been dating a couple years now,” Zero argued against his lover’s lips as Tomas leaned down to kiss him. “I hardly think we’re ready for marriage.”_

_Tomas gave a scoff._

_“My parents dated for a couple months before tying the knot. Been married for twenty years now.” He answered with an easy grin, before it faded. “We’re hunters, babe. Things are different for us.”_

_“I know.”_

_“Hunters don’t tend to stick around long,” Tomas murmured, voicing the uncomfortable truth that lingered between them. “If something out there doesn’t kill us, some bastard with a grudge will come along and do it for ‘em. Our kind lives fast because we die young, baby.”_

_“Yeah, I know.” But that didn’t mean he had to like it. Zero hated the idea of losing Tomas, of never seeing him or holding him again. His bottom teeth dug into his lip while he raised his other hand, bringing it to his lover’s face and feeling rough stubble beneath his fingers._

_“I don’t want to lose you,” He whispered the words into the space between them, like a secret._

_Tomas looked at Zero with wet eyes. His gorgeous, beautiful, Zero. “I don’t either, Z. But that’s not me saying it won’t happen. And whatever does happen? I want to face it knowing we’re together, knowing that nothing can separate us. If I die, I want the chance to call you ‘husband’ at least once before I go.”_

_Whether it was the alcohol coursing through his blood or Tomas’ smooth way with words, Zero found himself nodding. He wanted that too, god, did he want that._

_“So, will you marry me, baby?” Tomas leaned in close, pressed his forehead against his young lover’s and found himself enraptured by amethyst eyes._

_“Yes.”_

“Tell me about him.”

Zero drew Lily to a sharp stop and whirled on Kaname with angry eyes. “What did you just say?”

“Tell me about them, these adventures of yours.”

Zero turned back to continue on with a shake of his head. He was probably just hearing things. People always did say the waste lands did odd things to one’s mind; he was beginning to see the truth of that statement. 

“I wouldn’t call them adventures,” He called back. “So if you’re hoping for some dashing story of action and exciting shit, I’d hate to burst your bubble but I don’t have any of those. It’s mostly just traipsing through ruins of old, forgotten cities and trying not to die.”

“But you carry hunter’s weapons,” Kaname remarked. Surely, any of those would be more than enough to take care of whatever creature he was after.

“Yes, but _those_ won’t take care of poisonous fumes or toxic water. A fall from too high will kill a hunter just as easily as any vampire would,” Zero responded. “Besides, I’ve learned it’s best not to get cocky. No matter how skilled you think you are, how _good_ —there’s always someone bigger and badder just waiting to knock you down to size.”

The pureblood heard the bitterness coloring Zero’s voice which gave away the hunter’s experience.

It occurred to him then, that he’d never actually seen Zero fight like he _meant it._ Of course, they’d had their tousles and squabbles, he and Zero, but neither of them had ever actually fought the other with the full intent to kill. He imagined the hunter would be a force to be reckoned with and couldn’t imagine much capable of beating him.

Kaname couldn’t help but drift back to a cold, snowy night. Haruka and Juuri’s blood curdling screams as they were ripped limb from limb and he was powerless to do anything but watch. 

“Yes, I know what you mean.”

“I think we should take turns keeping watch,” Zero announced later that night, after taking a swig of water to wash down a ration bar within the confines of the tent. “I don’t like how easily that _thing_ was able to creep up on us last night. The last thing we need is anything else getting the drop on us.”

Kaname watched the hunter’s eyes anxiously flit to the closed entrance of the tent and not missing how Zero’s fingers tighten as he folded his arms. The pureblood seriously doubted that any creature out here would be a match for both of them, but he didn’t say that, not with anxiety rolling off of the hunter in thick waves.

“Alright,” He nodded. “You’re right, it’s better to get into the habit of keeping watch.”

“Good, I’ll take first watch.” Zero offered.

The pureblood frowned and gripped the hunter’s chin, tilting his face up so that he could look plainly at the boy. 

“Are you mad? Your eyes are covered in dark circles and you nearly fell asleep riding today. Like it or not, part of you is still human, Zero. You need sleep.”

Zero tightened his jaw and broke free of Kaname’s grip. 

“I’ll be fine.” He assured the pureblood. “I’m a hunter, I’m used to odd hours. And to be honest, I don’t think I can sleep right now, anyway.”

Kiryuu had always possessed a stubborn streak a mile wide and Kaname knew that if he argued it would go on for hours and he likely wouldn’t win. 

“If you’re sure.”

“I am.”

Pursing his lips, the pureblood acquiesced and moved to lay down in his own sleeping roll, darkness falling over the tent as Zero snuffed out the small lantern beside him. Vaguely, he could still make out faint silver hair in the darkness though, which brought a small comfort to the pureblood’s chest. 

Kaname’s body adamantly refused to sleep though, his blood thrumming through his veins and his heart pounding wide and awake in his chest. He sighed under his breath and squeezed his eyes closed, trying in vain to get at least a smidge of rest. 

It was then that a faint, low humming reached his ears. The pureblood stilled, barely even daring to breathe as low, dulcet tones filled his ears, and it took a moment for him to register the voice as Zero’s. 

Through the darkness he could barely make out Zero’s form beside him, sitting on his bed roll and singing softly under his breath. Kaname didn’t understand a word of it, the hunter singing in a language he’d never heard before but it was far from an unpleasant sound. No, it was rather soothing, and he found himself relaxing as he listened to the low sound of the hunter’s voice washing over him.

“What are you singing?” He finally dared to ask, cracking open one eye to glance at Zero.

“Just an old song my Ma used to sing. When Ichiru and I couldn’t sleep she’d come into our room and sing for us,” Zero answered in a whisper. “I’m not even sure what language it is, honestly.” 

The hunter’s heart thudded painfully against his ribs. He didn’t even know why he was telling all this to the pureblood, truth be told. He thought Kaname was asleep, that was the only reason he’d dared to sing in the first place.

“I can stop if you want me to.”

“Don’t stop,” Kaname blurted out before he could stop himself. “You don’t have to stop on my account. By all means, you’re welcome to continue. Why have I never heard you sing before?”

“I don’t- it’s not something I do often. Hell, I’m probably shit at it.”

“You aren’t,” Kaname wasn’t sure why, but he was adamant that Zero understand that. “Your voice is pretty, actually. It’s nice, I like it. You should sing more often.”

Zero scoffed and gave a nervous laugh at that, but Kaname didn’t miss the bright red that stained the tips of his ears. Zero ignored the warmth that threatened to fill him at the pureblood’s words and playfully gave him a light swat on the arm.

“Go to sleep, Kuran.” He chided with flushed cheeks and a good-natured shake of his head. But he didn’t stop singing, even as the pureblood’s eyes fell closed once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not beta'd so please do point out any grammar or spelling mistakes! Willing to sell my soul for comments and kudos <3!


	7. Chapter 7: Out of the frying pan into the fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go from bad to worse as Kaname and Zero move towards finally getting out of the wastelands. It can ALWAYS get worse, as it turns out...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I just want y'all to know that I've been pulling my hair out trying to post this ch for like, the last four days and the archive wasn't cooperating. In addition to spending most of last week recovering from bad food poisoning.
> 
> Fs in chat for my sanity.

After reaching a tentative truce, Zero had somewhat softened up to the vampire. A bit. A very, very _small_ bit, but he at least tolerated Kaname now, even if for the most part they just stayed out of each other’s way. Any attempt at small talk fell flat inevitably. What did they even have to talk about? After all, it wasn’t as though they had much in common save for the very obvious fact that they were both vampires and that was where the similarities ended. 

Kaname wisely doesn’t ask any more questions about the mysterious Tomas and in exchange Zero is civil in his words towards him. It’s a reasonable exchange.

“Shouldn’t be much longer now,” Zero announced one morning as they woke. It had only been roughly a week now, but it seemed like they’d been out here months. Hell, they were both starting to smell like it too at this point. He peered out at the horizon, squinting against the sun and swore he could make out the faintest hint of green in the far distance.

“Come on, we should get going.”

It was an oddly quiet day. Which wouldn’t be unusual in and of itself, except for the fact that the wastelands were usually alive with all sorts of noises from the wildlife or the gurgling of water lapping at the walkway. In the wastelands noise was the norm. To Zero it had even become somewhat of a comfort, hearing the frogs croaking away and the tall grass rustling.

But silence? Silence was a far bigger worry. It said a lot when something or someone was able to make the wildlife go absolutely dead silent. There wasn’t even a glimpse of any of the larger creatures, let alone the smaller ones. Not a trace of hide nor hair of _anything._ All of it had simply vanished.

Zero drew his cloak tighter around himself and tightened his grip on White Lily’s reins, clicking his teeth as she tried to stop in her tracks. _What the hell is up with you today?_ He’d never seen the old mare act like this in all the years he’d known her, so to say it was uncharacteristic would be an understatement. But then again, she _was_ getting on in years. Perhaps this was just her starting to show her age? And she always had been somewhat of a strange horse to begin with. He chalked it up up to a mixture of old-age and White Lily’s own particular brand of oddness with a shake of his head and ignored the odd sensation racing up his spine, urging the mare onwards despite how much she tried to resist. He wrinkled his nose though and cinched the scarf over his nose and mouth tighter as a horrid stench hit him.

Kaname drew Zephyr to a halt as he too met with the bizarre, foul odor. It was quite unlike anything he’d ever smelled before – oddly sulfuric with something heavier and denser lingering beneath that. Whatever it was, it was absolutely rank and it nearly made his eyes water from the strength of it alone. He frowned and stifled a cough before curiosity got the better of him and he turned around to glance behind them.

The pureblood straightened. 

“Zero.”

“Hm?” The hunter shouted without bothering to turn around.

“What… is that?”

Zero sighed and eyed the faint line of white on the horizon with longing. They were so close to being out of this place, couldn’t the pureblood just ride in silence? Honestly, what question could he possibly have that was so urgent? He half-suspected Kaname was just trying to be an ass at this point, bothering him for no reason. _But what if it really is important?_ The hunter reluctantly paused and turned to see what the pureblood was so insistent about.

The hunter’s eyes widened at the sight and his heart plummeted into his stomach. Both vampires stared at a thick, ominous dark fog filling the air behind them like a coat of pitch-black ink, stunned into silence as they watched it curl and drift through the air as it crept ever-forward towards them at an alarming speed. 

“ _That_?” Zero swallowed around the sudden growing lump in his throat. “That is bad - really fucking bad! We need to ride, _now!”_ He snapped White Lily’s reins and kicked her flank harshly, spurring her into action.

But Kaname didn’t move. Instead he remained frozen and stared at the mist, transfixed in a morbid curiosity. 

A small, horned rabbit wandered onto the wooden walkway, right in the path of the mist and paused, long enough to stick its nose into the air, twitching curiously for a few seconds.

Before the creature could react, the black mist enveloped it in loud, terrified squeals. The creature’s flesh turned a bright, grisly red and pink as it burned upon contact with the fog and large boils of skin inflated and popped, spraying bursts of blood all over the walkway right before the pureblood’s very eyes. And finally, covered in splotchy burns wherever flesh and skin were not completely burnt away to bone, the creature let out one last croaking breath before dying. 

Zero glanced over his shoulder and cursed. What was the fucking idiot doing? Did the pureblood have a death wish or something?

“Damn it, Kaname! _Move!”_

Whether it was the alarm in the hunter’s voice or the sheer shock of hearing Zero call him by his name for once, Kaname came back to himself. He jerked Zephyr around and dug his heels into the gelding’s sides, snapping the reins just as the mist encroached upon them, close enough that the skin on his cheek had began to burn. Zephyr didn’t need to be told twice before racing after Zero, sensing the imminent danger right on his heels.

Zero clung tightly to White Lily as her hooves thundered over the weak wooden platforms above the water. All the while, he could feel the mist behind them, crawling closer and closer, chasing them. He didn’t look back again to see if Kaname was behind him. He couldn’t - too focused on trying to navigate the maze of platforms. One wrong turn or step on a rotting section wasn’t exactly a mistake he could afford to make right now.

His heart thundered painfully against his ribcage as he forced himself to suck in deep, gasping breaths of air. In situations like these he’d learned it was important to stay calm in order to think straight. Panic could get one killed in a situation like this far quicker than anything else might. Right now Zero just needed to keep his wits about him and focus on anything other than the possibility of death.

 _Shit, shit, shit!_ Zero bit back curses as he rode, carefully winding around every curve and bend, trying his best to keep sight of where he was going even as his eyes began to water when harsh winds bit at his face and tugged at his clothing. The oppressive stench of the mist invaded his nose and there was nothing but the thunder of hooves around him and the rush of his own blood in his ears. And that glorious stretch of white on the horizon. 

_Come on, just a bit further-_

“Fuck!” Zero gritted out, yanking White Lily to the right of a crossroads suddenly as the black mist stretched out in front of him, blocking the path to the left. _What the fuck even is this stuff?_ He’d never even heard of anything like a thick black fog that burned on contact. It seemed like something out of a horrible nightmare. Whatever it was, Zero knew he didn’t want to find out.

The hunter’s heart thudded painfully against his ribs, sweat making dark clothing stick to his skin. He could feel the cold air now, biting into his skin as they drew closer and closer towards the edge of the waste lands and the mountains beyond.

 _Just a little further…_ Violet eyes glimpsed snow and ice ahead of him, dotted with thick fir trees. _Just a-_

A small breath of relief left Zero when White Lily’s hooves thudded across the last stretch of the wooden walkway and connected with firm earth. He knew they weren’t out of the woods yet, not with that mist behind him, but now that they were out of the wastelands at least they stood a better chance.

Zero was sucking in desperate gasps of air now with every breath and trying to blink the water from his eyes as the cold air threatened to freeze his lashes together. 

He never saw the dark shapes moving amongst the trees.

The quick _whoosh_ of air registered a second too late and before Zero was able to do anything, an arrow connected with White Lily’s flank. Another came flying not more than a second after and caught her in her side. 

“Shit!” Zero cursed loudly, whipping his head around to scan the treelines while trying to soothe the horse beneath him with shaking hands. “Lily, don’t-“

_Too late._

With a loud noise of pain, the horse reared back onto her hind legs in one harsh movement, making Zero lose his grip on the reins and his feet slip from the stirrups.

Zero let out a loud curse as a stinging pain blossomed in his side and he was thrown from the back of the horse. His teeth clacked together harshly and painfully in his mouth as he connected with the dirt.

The hunter’s vision danced before him as everything went sideways. All of the shapes and colors before him blurred together as his skull screamed in agony and flashes of white licked at the edges of his vision. _Lily! I have to-_ Zero tried to push himself up onto his elbow with a groan before the world spun beneath him and a wave of dizziness overcame him. His elbow collapsed under his weight and he fell to the dirt, wincing a second later as warm droplets of black blood spattered across his face and White Lily crumpled beside him.

Kaname’s vision went red as he watched Zero’s form fly through the air before falling to the ground like a limp puppet, all the while blood oozed freely from the fresh bullet wound in the hunter’s side and colored the air with the enticing scent of sweet copper. 

The pureblood’s fangs lengthened in his mouth and he let out a low snarl under his breath, fury rushing through his veins at the thought of someone else drawing the hunter’s blood so carelessly. At the thought of someone daring to lay hands on _his_ hunter. He quickly spared a glance to scan the bushes and trees for the bandits. He counted at least five—two with bows, one with a rifle and the others with axes and swords. They had no idea what they were up against if they thought any of that was going to do them a lick of good. _Mores the pity, fools._

The pureblood didn’t wait for Zephyr to stop before he leapt from the horse in one sharp movement and ducked into the trees. Kaname moved faster than anything the bandits had likely ever seen, a blur of red eyes and sharp fangs weaving through the trees and shrubbery, silent as a ghost. These morons hadn’t known what bear they’d just been foolish enough to poke.

His blood thrummed through his veins with adrenaline, the likes of which he hadn’t experienced in centuries. Vampires were natural-born hunters after all and it had been some time since he’d been allowed to hunt like this. He relished in the cold air washing over his skin, the anticipation, the _thrill_ of the distant sound of warm bodies filled with fresh blood. Kaname shuddered. Ah, how he’d missed this.

One of the bandits, a plump man with a great bushy beard, stumbled back in shock as he saw the vampire’s dark blur making its way towards him through the trees, clinging to branches no wider than a twig and leaping through the trees with the grace of a stalking cat. 

“What in God’s name-“

The man never finished his sentence before Kaname dropped down onto the ground before him and drew a sharp line across his throat with a single claw. While at the same time he reached out with his other hand and tore another bandit’s head clean from his body. Blood and pieces of the man’s insides flew everywhere, coating the pureblood’s clothing and face in viscera. Kaname cared not.

The pureblood tore off after two more bandits, one carrying a dull sword and the other a rusted axe. With a gleeful smile he rushed at the two cowards attempting to flee and sunk a hand through each one’s belly, stabbing through tissue and organs and emerging on the other side with a sickening _crunch_ of bone. They fell to the ground, drawing in sharp, shuddering breaths as Kaname withdrew his claws and cautiously stuck his tongue out to lick at the bloodied specks of muscle and fat that clung to it.

“Disgusting,” He commented with a sneer down at the dying men before a sound caught his ear. Kaname tilted his head and, with lightning-fast reflexes, caught the bullet that had been aimed squarely at his forehead in between two fingers. He glanced in the direction the bullet had come from.

Across the dirt road, the woman wielding a rifle stared him down with a scowl through dirty blonde strands. 

Well, it was something other than fear, he had to respect her for _that_ much at least, given that he’d just killed all of her comrades right in front of her. But she was also the one who had just shot Zero, which meant she was worth little more than the dirt on his boot.

“Devil spawn!” She spat and took aim once more at the vampire.

 _Well now we’re just being rude, aren’t we?_ With a grimace at the insult, Kaname left the dying men where he’d left them and moved towards the woman. Of course, a mere human could never hope to be a match for any pureblood, let alone one as old as Kaname himself and before she could even blink, let alone fire another bullet, the vampire was suddenly right before her, staring her down inches from her very face. 

“Why, hello there,” Kaname greeted as he reached out and wrapped a hand around the woman’s throat before hoisting her up into the air, ignoring how she kicked and scratched desperately at his arms in a feeble attempt to free herself. “My, haven’t we been a naughty little _pest?”_

He bared his fangs at her and tightened his hand. Like thin metal, her flesh buckled beneath his hand, leaking out blood over his fingers as his grip tightened until eventually her neck snapped and she ceased her petty gasps for breath. 

He released his grip on the woman and calmly wiped his claws off on his cloak while looking down at the body with disgust plain on his face. The air was thick with the heavy scents of iron and copper at this point, most of it from the pathetic humans he’d just slaughtered but Zero’s still stood out far better than any other. Kaname found himself growing dizzy with the scent.

“Fuck!” Zero screamed, scrambling backwards on his hands and legs as the black mist encroached upon him. A loud groan escaped him and white-hot pain shot through him as the mist enveloped part of his calf, dissolving his clothing like it was nothing and burning the skin away. He lifted one hand to his mouth to muffle his screams at the agony.

Kaname snapped to attention at the hunter’s cry of anguish and took off in Zero’s direction. He found the hunter bleeding and covered in the drying blood of White Lily. There was a hole in the boy’s leg where blistering, red skin stood out amongst the dark fabrics as he tried to scramble backward from the putrid fog. Kaname hurried over and helped the hunter stand with an arm around his waist.

“Thanks,” Zero panted, leaning heavily on the pureblood and trying to ignore the way his leg was on fucking fire. He was trying his best just to keep his eyes open at this point and not give into the pain and exhaustion that threatened to overwhelm him. “Guess I owe you one now.”

White Lily gave one last feeble kick with her legs before falling still and it was with a heavy heart that the hunter forced himself to look away from the horse that had become one of his dearest companions ever since he’d laid eyes on her as a foal. Zero forced down the sudden stifling grief as he bent to quickly untie and grab the bags still on her saddle, clutching them to his chest. They couldn’t risk losing those supplies, not now.

“Can you ride?” Kaname asked as they limped away from the mist, still bracing most of Zero’s weight. The hunter gave a shaky nod, in too much pain to question the blood on the pureblood right now and the viscera littering the ground.

With the pureblood’s help, Zero hefted himself up onto Zephyr’s back and felt the warm weight of the pureblood press against his back. Kaname reached around him to grip the reins, and they took off, riding out of the reach of the black fog and towards the looming mountains.

They rode for some time, Kaname following Zero’s directions as he controlled Zephyr’s movements, weaving through trees and around the foliage. He kept an eye out for more bandits as they rode deeper into the mountains, but fortunately, saw no signs of any, thankfully. But then again it was likely that the screams from their comrades had scared most of them off if the mist hadn’t.

Eventually, Zero deemed them safe from the mist so he slowed Zephyr’s speed, not wanting to tax the poor gelding _too_ much, especially since he was now having to carry the both of them.

Zero’s hand stayed pressed to his side, and he was breathing shakily through gritted teeth as they rode.

“Wh-what are you doing?” Zero rasped as Kaname veered off from the main dirt path. It was growing colder as they began to climb in altitude and he could see his breath fog in front of his face when he spoke now. “That’s not-“ _That’s not the right way,_ he wanted to say but couldn’t muster the energy to get the words out.

“You’re obviously in no state to keep going with your wounds the way they are, Zero. I can hear water nearby. We can see to your wounds there, if I can find the source of it.” Was the only reply he received. The hunter wanted to argue but as pain made his vision go white for a second, he realized that it was probably best to just listen to the pureblood for once. He wasn’t in any state to go on like this.

Soon enough, Kaname’s hearing proved correct as they happened upon a small lake filled with clear, water. After a cautious examination to make sure there wasn’t signs of any other visitors and sparing a glance to search for prints in the snow, Kaname deemed it safe enough and drew Zephyr to a halt, dismounting before reaching up towards Zero.

Zero’s fingers dug into Kaname’s arm as he stepped down from the saddle, stumbling as he hit the ground and colliding with a solid chest. 

“Fuck, sorry,” He murmured with tiredness in his voice.

“It’s alright,” Kaname assured him, bracing him with an arm around his waist once more and leading the hunter over to a sizable boulder in slow steps. “Now, take a seat and let’s see to that burn of yours before anything else.”

Knowing better than to argue, Zero did as he was told with a loud hiss of pain. Kaname bent down before him and gently grabbed for his leg, positioning it in his lap. He frowned as the whiff of cooked flesh reached his nose. It wasn’t a pretty sight by any means; most of the hunter’s left calf was red and raw, rivulets of blood trickling down and large, white blisters covering the surface.

He removed Zero’s boot as gently as he could, but unfortunately, the pantleg proved to be a different problem. 

“Can I cut this?” Kaname asked, eyeing the fabric that was clinging to singed skin. Not that there were any other options right now since taking off the pants would be putting Zero in a world of pain and risked agitating the wound even further.

“Sure,” The hunter replied stiffly. A second later the pureblood’s claw cleanly sliced through the fabric.

“Well, this certainly doesn’t look good,” Kaname murmured, gently running his fingers over the wound with a furrow between his brows. “Put it in the water, while I take a look at your side.”

“Whatever you say, _doc,_ ” Zero croaked, trying for humor and failing as he slowly lowered his leg into the lake. A loud, choked noise left the hunter’s throat as his burnt flesh hit the cold water. It hurt like a bitch—but the longer he kept it in, the more tolerable the pain got at least, even if it was only slightly.

“Remove your shirt.”

“What?” Zero started. “What the hell, Kuran?”

“I need to see to your wound and I can’t do that with your shirt in the way,” Kaname explained patiently.

“I- oh, right. Yeah. Sorry.” Zero shook his head, avoiding Kaname’s gaze. God, he felt like an idiot for not realizing that. With a bit of help from the pureblood, the hunter gingerly removed his shirt as well as his coverings while he was at it, seeing as they weren’t in the waste lands any more and had no need for them.

“Fuck!” The hunter cursed as Kaname’s cold hands pressed against his wound, probing and prodding in his examination. “Jesus, warn a guy, will you?”

“Apologies.”

Surprisingly, the pureblood’s touch was gentle and careful as he examined the hunter’s wounds. He didn’t purposely poke and prod to see Zero flinch in pain, like the hunter half-feared he would. 

“Well, it seems the bullet went through cleanly,” Kaname told him after a while. “And due to your healing abilities, I suspect, most of the bleeding has stopped.”

“So you’re saying there’s jackshit I can do right now but wait?”

“Essentially, yes.” Kaname answered in spite of the vulgar language. He’d found that he was growing more and more used to that with Zero around. “Although…”

“Although _what?”_

“The healing would go faster if you were to feed.”

Zero’s expression closed off immediately at that, reverting back to his usual scowl. “No. No fucking way am I feeding from- from _you.”_

Kaname unexpectedly flinched from the venom in the hunter’s voice. He wasn’t quite sure why. After all, he hadn’t cared about Zero’s opinion of him in the past. Why now?

The pureblood sighed. “You’re in no state fit to travel right now. And you won’t be for some time at the rate you’re healing. Be sensible about this.”

Zero looked away with a set jaw. “I don’t care.”

“With my blood you could heal in a day or so. Without it, it could take _weeks_ before you are fit to travel anywhere and that’s provided an infection doesn’t set in during that time.”

“So?”

Kaname pressed a hand to his throbbing temples. _You foolish, stubborn, boy._ Still, if Zero wouldn’t listen to him, then perhaps he would listen to reason at least. “Think of how many lives this wolf will take in that time. How many lives will be lost because of your stubbornness, hunter.” 

It was a dirty tactic, admittedly but Kaname wasn’t averse to using such things from time to time. Especially if it got a certain hunter to give a damn about his own health and just feed already. And from the straightening of Zero’s spine, it was working.

The hunter eventually unfolded his arms and looked up at Kaname with a rare show of vulnerability in his violet eyes. 

“Fine,” He surrendered. “I’ll drink from you, but _after_ we finish setting up camp here for the night. Like you said, I’m not going anywhere in my condition anyways, so we might as well get comfortable for the night.”

Kaname stifled a victorious smile and nodded. “I suppose you make a good point. It would be a good idea to take this chance and get the tent set up anyways before it gets too cold after sundown. You stay here and rest your injuries, I’ll see to the tent.”

Not more than a few moments later, Kaname returned and the tent was standing a ways away, completed and (surprisingly) not in tatters. _Well at least he can put together a tent,_ Zero snarked internally before wincing as pain hit him once more.

“Ready?” Kaname asked, kneeling in front of Zero once more and offering up his bare wrist in the hunter’s direction. Blue veins stood out starkly beneath his pale skin.

“Not really,” Zero admitted, glancing at the ground as he swallowed. “But fine, yeah. Let’s get this over with.”

The hunter leaned forward, enough so that Kaname could see the way he shook with the movement and how he’d determinedly squeezed his eyes shut. Zero didn’t let himself think too much about it as he bit into Kaname’s wrist.

A low groan escaped Zero’s throat as the rich, flavor of fresh blood hit his tongue. He couldn’t help it after going so long without it. It reminded him of just how parched his throat had been before this and how thirsty he was. Kaname’s blood tasted like heaven on his tongue. Zero couldn’t help but eagerly lap up every drop of the stuff in heavy gulps. He was starving and only just now realized it.

Kaname’s throat tightened as the hunter’s warm breath wafted over his skin, a shudder running through him in anticipation. He gasped when Zero abruptly bit down, breaking the skin and dug his teeth into his bottom lip. _Gods above._

The boy really didn’t know what he was doing to the pureblood. Biting was generally something that was considered pleasurable to most vampires and Kaname was no exception to that rule. But Zero? The hunter’s bite was a smidge of blissful euphoria rushing through Kaname’s veins. It made his head spin and his body grow hot from the sensation. Had it always been like this when Zero fed from him? Kaname didn’t know and it was much too hard to remember at this point. 

The pureblood lolled his head back as Zero drank from him, his breathing growing slower and heavier. He’d fed from countless people in his lifetime and had them feed from him in turn. None of them had ever come close to _this_ though, not as far as he remembered. It was a feeling that was impossible to describe, the slow sensual way Zero’s fangs dug into his skin. A euphoria better than any drug, that was for certain.

“Zero,” Kaname growled, unable to stop himself. He bit down harsher on his own lip, drawing droplets of blood as he fought to keep from biting the boy back, from yanking Zero’s head up by silver strands and tasting his own blood on the hunter’s lips. The pureblood’s cock was hard and leaking in his trousers by now. If Zero kept this up-

Zero pulled back eventually with a dazed expression coloring his face and red staining his lips. His eyes were glassy and out of focus and a light flush stained his cheeks in what most vampires called being blood drunk. It was a temporary effect and one that usually only lasted for a few moments but it made Kaname’s breath hitch in his throat.

Sitting so temptingly before the pureblood like that, with his clothes torn and hair disheveled… who did the hunter think he was? 

_No._ Kaname chided himself for thinking like that and shook his head. He couldn’t blame Zero for his emotions.

“Kaname?” Zero slurred, still only half-aware of what was going on around him. He glanced up at the pureblood with more awareness in his eyes than he had moments ago though. And made Kaname that much more aware of the erection that was tenting his pants right now. 

“Are you- I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Despite the awkwardness of the whole situation, Kaname chuckled at the hunter’s concern for others above himself. “No, I’m quite fine, actually.”

“Really? Oh, that’s- good. That’s good. I think.”

“But I do believe I should go and lie down for a bit. You took a tad more than what I was anticipating.” Kaname lied, wanting to get away from the hunter as quickly as possible before Zero came back to full awareness and realized what effect the bite had on the pureblood. There was no doubt in his mind that Zero would be disgusted and never want anything to do with Kaname if he saw.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It isn’t your fault, I assure you.”

Later that night found both vampires sitting around a small fire that Kaname had built. Zero leaned back against a log on the ground with his injured leg spread out before him and his other tucked close to his chest, while Kaname was seated prim and proper on the log beside him.

“You shouldn’t have saved me, you know,” Zero murmured the words as he stared absently at the orange flames, watching them flicker and dance through the air.

“Oh? I never took you as one with a death wish, or to wallow in self-pity for that matter, Zero.” 

The hunter scoffed and turned to look at Kaname, the fire casting a golden glow across his face as he did so. Kaname swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat, willing the heat in his gut to disappear. 

“It’s not self-pity, it’s called making a smart decision. You took a risk in saving me and there was a chance it might not have paid off. That mist could have killed us both because of you risking your damn neck like that and then where would we be, Kuran? You need to think these things through.”

At that, Kaname frowned. “So what you’re saying is that I should have left you to die.”

“Yes,” Zero sighed and carded a hand through his hair. This wasn’t coming out at all how he’d meant for it to. “No? I- I don’t know. I just think it was a dumb decision to make, risking your life to save me. Just because we got lucky this time, doesn’t mean it’ll happen again. You can’t risk your hide to save everyone, Kuran. Even me.”

“I don’t,” Kaname protested before he could stop and think about those words and what they meant. “I don’t think it was a foolish decision to make at all, since you so kindly _asked_ for my opinion on the matter and I would do it again. You may not think it, but you’re a valuable asset, Zero. You know more about this world than I, as you’ve proven over and over again and without you I might have already made some foolish mistake and gotten myself killed. I need you out here, Zero.”

The hunter’s breath caught in his throat, color blooming across his cheeks. He wasn’t sure what to make of that statement. He wasn’t sure Kaname knew either. 

That line of thinking got people killed, putting sentiment and emotion before rationality and logic. It was beyond stupid; it was selfish and dangerous, even if Zero refrained from telling the pureblood exactly that.

Zero merely tightened his grip on his leg and watched the flames, content to let the moment pass rather than read into it. There was only so long he could go though, before guilt got the better of him.

“Hey, Kuran.”

“Hm?”

“I know it didn’t really sound like it earlier, but I really am thankful that you saved me. You didn’t have to do that, so… thanks, again. I appreciate it,” Zero whispered quietly, like he was afraid of the words. 

“I wouldn’t have left you to die,” Kaname hoped the hunter knew he meant that. 

A soft smile graced Zero’s features and it made the pureblood’s heart skip a beat in his chest. It was a dumb decision caused by stupid sentimentality. And thinking like that would get people killed in the future. Zero knew that and yet he couldn’t help the way Kaname’s words made warmth bloom in his chest.

“Well _that’s_ good to know at least,” Zero snarked with a slight smirk. 

“You know, maybe vampires aren’t so bad after all, Kuran.”

Kaname’s red gaze softened as he glanced down at the hunter, knee bumping Zero’s shoulder good-naturedly. 

“I’m glad to see I’ve changed your mind. Perhaps you hunters aren’t as insufferable as I once thought, either.”

Zero let out a laugh at that, loud and boisterous. It took Kaname a moment to realize he’d never heard the prefect laugh before—not like that, not _real_. The hunter’s eyes slip closed, and a grin stretched his lips as he tipped his head back, bathed in warm light and cheeks flushed. Were he able to, Kaname thought he would like to capture this moment forever.

They spent the rest of the evening like that, with Zero gazing absently at the fire till it burned low. And Kaname simply content to sit there with him, gazing at the hunter with something unknown stirring in his chest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All vampires have a biting kink. Sorry, I don't make the rules 👏


	8. Chapter 8: Boy, you’re going to carry that weight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note for this chapter so some people don’t get confused—when Zero mentions a partner in his chapter he isn’t talking about Tomas. He means just a hunting partner, not a romantic or sexual partner.

By the time morning rolled around Zero had hardly slept a wink, thanks to the pain from his leg which had kept him awake all damn night. The gunshot wound in his side had mostly dulled to a bearable ache now, but his burn was still smarting. And on top of that, he felt like he’d been hit by a stampede after being thrown from Lily’s back and now he added exhaustion to the pile of shit.

“Ugh, fuck,” He cursed under his breath and carefully crawled out of the tent, giving up on any chance of sleep. 

The hunter squeezed his eyes shut against bright rays of light that greeted him. Times like these reminded him why he wasn’t a morning person—or a _day_ person at all for that matter. Beside the remains of last night’s campfire, a slumbering Zephyr’s ears twitched as dark eyes blinked open to stare at Zero with an inquisitive tilt of his head. 

Apparently deciding Zero wasn’t worth the effort of waking up this early, Zephyr snorted softly under his breath before promptly closing his eyes again and going back to sleep. 

The hunter took a seat on the cold ground and stretched out his injured leg, watching the gelding settle. Zero’s throat tightened as the sight reminded him far too much of White Lily for his liking. That old mare had been his constant companion for years, ever since he got her as a foal and she deserved better than meeting her end at the hands of a few backwoods criminals.

“Zero?” Kaname called softly, emerging from the tent behind the hunter and reaching for his cloak with an annoyed hiss at the sunlight. “You’re awake early, I see.”

“Yeah, couldn’t sleep.”

“Your wounds bothering you, I take it?”

“My leg mostly, the other one isn’t too bad now.”

A frown appeared between the pureblood’s brows as he walked over to kneel beside the hunter and extended a hand. “Let me see it.”

Zero sighed and leaned back on his hands, giving the pureblood free rein to work. “I don’t know what you’re going to be able to do, but good luck.”

Kaname ignored his jab and reached for their bag, this one filled with medicinal herbs and flowers meant for treating wounds. Not that Zero had ever used them before now, but he liked to be prepared at least, even if he knew jack shit about treating any kind of injury beyond the bare minimum.

The brunette rummaged through the bag’s contents before retrieving a small wooden bowl and several tied bundles of herbs.

The hunter winced as Kaname rolled up his pant leg to display pink, raw skin that was still bleeding from several places. It didn’t look any worse than the previous day, but nor did it appear to be getting any better either, which was worrying.

“What are you doing?” Zero asked as Kaname methodically placed pieces of different herbs into the bowl, measuring them out as he went. If this was some attempt at poisoning him, Zero wanted to tell him not to waste his breath, but after last night he seriously doubted the pureblood wished him harm. After all, what idiot would bother saving someone in the first place just to kill them later on?

“For your information, I’m _trying_ to help you, if you would stay quiet and let me work.”

“Fine, fine, point taken.” Zero raised his hands in surrender. “No need to be so testy, your majesty.”

Sunlight made Kaname quicker to anger, that was for sure. It seemed like his patience ran a lot more thin these days now that they were both forced to stick to a diurnal schedule.

Zero made it a point to stay quiet after that and let the pureblood work, not wanting to irritate the brunette anymore (for once). Though Kaname was hardly a doctor, at this point Zero highly doubted he could worsen the wound any more than it already looked to be.

Using his bare fingers, the older vampire mixed together the herbs and plants, along with a bit of water from the lake until they turned into what looked to be a thick, green mush which smelled about as bad as it looked. Zero grimaced at it like it had personally offended him. That was meant to _help_ him? It looked more like it might just finish him off instead. But then again, what did he know?

“I’m going to poultice the wound,” Kaname told him, scooping some of the thick mixture into his hand. “That should help with the pain at least.”

Zero really didn’t like the sound of that “should” but figuring there wasn’t much left to lose, he nodded. His own knowledge of first aid was the bare minimum which included stitching, performing CPR and a vague idea on how to tourniquet a wound, but he had virtually no idea on anything beyond that, including poultices. In the past he’d always just had to grin and bear the pain of any injuries, as most hunters did.

A shocked gasp left his lips as Kaname spread the cold mixture over his burning skin and he fought to keep from jerking his leg out of reflex. Yet to his surprise, his pain lessened almost immediately.

“Hold still,” The pureblood gently ordered, tying the mixture in place by wrapping a roll of cloth bandage around it. “There, how does that feel?”

“Better,” Zero replied, raising his brows and letting out a sigh of relief. “Damn, I’m impressed. Where did you learn how to do that?”

“My Mother taught me, back when I was a child.”

“Oh… I see.”

Honestly, the younger man didn’t know much about Juuri Kuran aside from her name or having a Mother at all for that matter, which left him floundering for what to say in response. “Well in any case, thanks. It really does feel a lot better, now.

Kaname looked at Zero with a gaze soft in understanding as he placed the herbs and the bowl back in the bag before he claimed a seat beside the hunter on the ground, uncaring for once of the dirt getting on his usually pristine clothes. 

“It’s hardly fair that you get to ask questions about me without letting me ask any about you. Quid pro quo after all, right?”

Zero snorted out a chuckle. “I’m just a hunter, there’s nothing interesting about me, truth be told. But shoot, I guess.”

For a moment Kaname went quiet, as he thought about what to say. There was so much he wished to know about Zero, so many questions he wanted to ask that it was difficult to decide where to start.

“Your tattoos,” He finally decided on. The question about the ink that stained Zero’s skin _had_ been bugging him for a while. “Why did you decide to get them?”

“Ah, those. Well, it started out as a stupid bet that I lost with Kaito,” Zero replied with a wistful grin. “Then I just… liked it, I guess. For once I finally had something that no one could take away from me no matter how hard they tried. It was _mine_.”

The pureblood’s throat closed up as he listened to Zero speak, not daring to interrupt him. He was beginning to see just how much he didn’t know about the hunter. _Just_ _how much have people taken from you, Zero?_

“And then-“ Zero’s voice cracked as he spoke and he shut his eyes, releasing a shuddering breath. “I lost my partner on my second job ever. Fell right into a pack of Es and never stood a chance. There wasn’t even a body to bury. He was just there one second… and gone the next. Everyone else just sort of forgot about him after a while. But I couldn’t, it seemed _wrong,_ you know? So, I got the second one for him. A tattoo of his favorite red cap that his Father got him when he was a kid.”

The hunter shook his head but there was nothing but fondness in his voice. “God, he never took that damn thing off. I’ve gotten a tattoo for every single partner I’ve lost since then, on a job or elsewhere. It helps keep them around in some way, I like to think. And it helps me remember not to let the same mistake happen again.”

“That seems like an awful lot of weight to carry on your shoulders,” Kaname murmured. At least a dozen tattoos covered the hunter’s arms and for all he knew countless others were obscured by Zero’s clothing. _How many more had he lost? How many comrades had the boy been forced to watch die? How many of those has he blamed himself for?_

Zero gave a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders as he stood and no small amount of bitterness laced his voice. “I’m a hunter. It’s what we do—bear the weight so others don’t have to.”

Kaname frowned. “Still, that you should have to bear all of that responsibility hardly seems fair.”

“Ah, it is what it is. Besides, I’m used to it now, so it’s fine,” Zero’s lips twitched into a smile. “Really, I’m _fine,_ Kuran. No need to worry about little ol’ me.”

The brunette bit down on his tongue as the hunter stalked off in the direction of Zephyr to wake the horse and get moving once more. _But you’re not fine, are you? You’re not fine at all._ Kaname waited a moment and stared after the hunter, wondering if anyone else saw what he could; that the hunter was beginning to buckle under the weight of his past. _Even hunters aren’t indestructible, Zero. I wonder how long before you realize you’re only mortal like the rest of us._

The pureblood let Zero take the lead this time, taking a seat behind the hunter as Zero took hold of Zephyr’s reins. Down one horse now, Zephyr was left to carry more bags and thus they had to ride slower to account for the added weight, unfortunately. But there was nothing to be done, Kaname supposed, even if it did mean adding on several days’ time to their trip.

Out of the waste lands, at least there was no need to worry about the searing heat anymore or dangerous nuclear fallout and lasting radiation. 

But the icy winds which chilled the hunter to the bone, making his cheeks bloom an angry red, and the icy breeze that tugged at his clothing as well as his hair posed an equal if not greater danger. Black ice slicked patches of the trail and made it difficult to navigate. It didn’t help, of course, that they were quickly climbing in altitude, but he had to wonder how on earth it could be so damn frigid when they’d just come out of what felt like a desert.

And it didn’t help either that Zero was distracted in his navigation, overly aware of the warmth of the pureblood pressed against his back, Kaname’s weight a steady presence behind him. 

Kaname hid a smile at how rigid Zero was, barely moving at all. This close he caught the scent of salty sweat trailing down the back of the hunter’s neck beneath fresh herbs mixed into the poultice and Zero’s hair which was still lightly fragrant with traces of eucalyptus from his shampoo. He could hear the hunter’s heart thudding away in his chest and the blood rushing through his veins so damn _temptingly._ His tongue ran over lengthened fangs in desire.

_It would be so easy. So easy to just lean forward and bite down on that pale flesh, taste salt from his skin on my lips as I lapped that sweet liquid from his veins._ What would Zero taste like? Sweet? Or maybe bitter and rich, just as Kaname usually preferred. _Bite him, drink from him. I could make it feel so good for him, I could have him moaning and writhing underneath my touch as I drank from him._

_No._ Kaname firmly shoved those thoughts aside, refusing to even consider such a thing. He would never drink from Zero without the hunter’s permission. He wanted Zero to eventually come to him of his own accord, to want the pureblood just as Kaname desired him; like hell he would ever stoop to the level of _that woman._

“Augh, _fuck,”_ Zero cursed under his breath and doubled over as far as the saddle allowed for, pressing his forehead against Zephyr’s soft coat as a harsh cramp wracked his abdomen. _Don’t you dare, not now._ Not that his body would listen to him.

“Zero, are you alright?”

The hunter shuddered at warm breath on his ear. 

“Fine.” He managed in what he hoped was a convincing voice. “Just a cramp, that’s all.”

To make matters worse, as they started to gain elevation it was growing _really fucking cold—_ even more so than he thought possible _._ Zero had already lost feeling in his nose and gray clouds stretched overhead with the promise of adding to the white piles of snow on the side of the trail. _Great, just fucking great._

The hunter nearly jumped out of his skin when a pair of arms wrapped around his middle suddenly and the pureblood leaned forward to plant his chin on the hunter’s shoulder.

“What are you doing?” He asked the pureblood with chattering teeth and his breath fogging in the air.

“You seemed cold,” Kaname said simply, adjusting his cloak to wrap around Zero as well. “So, I thought I would help warm you up. We wouldn’t want you to freeze to death, after all, now would we?”

“Fucking purebloods, always assuming shit,” Zero muttered under his breath, even though the cloak was awfully warm and soft around him.

“Do you dislike it?” The pureblood questioned, starting to pull back when Zero gripped his wrist.

“I didn’t say stop, idiot.” What could he say, he was fucking _cold_ okay? And the pureblood was like a personal fucking heater. There, he had his reasons. It was just practical, that’s all.

“Zero,”

“Hm?” 

That was another thing. When had they started using first names? Well, Kaname at least. Zero still called the pureblood by his surname, ‘Kuran’. Weirdly enough though, his name didn’t sound strange coming from the pureblood’s mouth. In fact, at this point, it would probably feel weirder if he started to address him as ‘Kiryuu’ again. It just sounded _odd_ even imagining it and in the end Zero decided not to mention it.

“I am sorry about what happened to White Lily. I know she was a good companion of yours.”

Zero’s throat tightened as wetness prickled at his eyes as he remembered that she was well and truly gone. He’d been trying not to focus on that fact, but he couldn’t fault Kaname when he knew the pureblood hadn’t meant to remind him. 

“Yeah, that she was. Had her ever since she was a foal.” God, he could still remember seeing that spiteful little foal. She’d nearly kicked Cross in the face and Zero fell in love with her right then and there.

White Lily had been like him in a lot of ways. With her bad temper she lashed out at anyone that got close to her and wasn’t suited for work or riding. She was eventually going to be put down by the time Zero met her. _A troublemaker with a bad attitude._ One who needed discipline with a firm hand, or so everyone who had tried to tame her said.

Zero took one look at her and knew they were all wrong. She needed no punishment or discipline, all she needed was a bit of kindness and love. _The kind no one had ever shown her._

She took to Zero right away, even letting the boy come up to pet her when she’d never let anyone get within a foot of her space before without lashing out. And she’d been his constant companion ever since, only allowing Zero to get close to her. Only ever Zero.

And he’d failed her.

“She deserved a better end than that.”

“Maybe,” Kaname agreed. “But she died protecting you, did she not? If she hadn’t thrown you, that next arrow or bullet might have hit you instead of her. She died protecting the one person who loved her more than anything, Zero. I’m sure she was happy with that.”

“I hope so,” The words were barely more than a breath, how faintly Zero whispered them. He hated to admit such to the pureblood, but a part of him clung childishly to Kaname’s foolish words, seeking comfort from them.

It was no secret that Zero loved White Lily, everyone on campus could see how much he doted on the horse. Just as it was also no secret that Zero much preferred her company to most of his classmates. 

Throughout all his years at the Academy, Kaname had never seen Zero with someone other than Yuuki or her human friend. Then again, the boy hadn’t much bothered to do anything to make himself appear favorable to his classmates. He scowled and yelled at them, always being brusque or harsh with other students. Zero pushed people away time and time again, instead preferring to isolate himself from any others rather than make friends.

Part of Kaname understood where Zero was coming from, his need to push others away because there was nothing good to be found in associating with him. The other part found it incredibly sad and thought about how lonely such a life must be. _Why do you torture yourself like this? Why do you hide away from the world, Zero?_

Kaname kept silent, not wanting to upset the hunter as he often did when he spoke to the boy. Instead, he turned and watched lumbering trees and boulders pass them by. Zephyr’s hooves thudded softly over dirt as they moved and provided a constant rhythm alongside the distant rumble of thunder.

Hours passed before rain started to pour down above them. A steady drizzle at first, it quickly picked up until it was pelting against the ground in quick, harsh droplets that obscured both vampires’ vision and turned the dirt beneath Zephyr’s feet to mud.

“Shit,” Zero groaned as he swiped a piece of soaked hair away from his eyes.

“Quite.”

They quickly figured that the storm wasn’t going away anytime soon, and it was too risky to continue on in such conditions. With the pureblood’s help, Zero found a small shelter beneath a few densely packed trees and they set up camp to wait it out.

Zero’s arms curled around his knees, hugging them to his chest as he watched flames spark to life beneath the pureblood’s touch. A relieved sigh left him as the heat emanating from the fire warmed his chilled bones and began to work sensation back into his limbs. 

“Got to admit, I kind of envy this talent of yours.” He said with a crooked grin.

Kaname took a seat on the ground beside the hunter, with nowhere else to sit. And figured with the hunter’s good mood, he might be willing to answer something else that had been eating at the pureblood. 

“Surely Kain has shown you some of his skill? I’m afraid he’s a far better pyromancy than compared to I.”

Zero shrugged. “He’s shown me a bit, but not much. Honestly, I think he just doesn’t want to show off.”

“How do you know Kain, anyway? If you don’t mind me asking. I’ve known the man for years yet never seen you two talk.” Kaname ventured with caution.

To his relief, Zero didn’t curse or yell at him. “Long story short, he has a sister who is er- like me.”

“A level D?” 

The hunter rolled his eyes. “ _No,_ I meant, not born in the right body, you know? Like how I was born in the body of a girl, Kain’s sister was born in the body of a boy.” Zero elaborated. “His parents don’t really like it, so he mostly takes care of his sister on his own. He’s the one who makes sure she gets hormones, clothes, make-up and other stuff. When he found out about me it was actually him who helped me get hormones too, no questions asked.”

“I see. You must be very close then,” Kaname murmured more harshly than he meant to. Something sharp and painful hurt in his chest at that realization and it grew tenfold as he realized that meant Zero trusted Kain more than him. He frowned down at his lap and forced his fists to unclench.

“I guess so,” Zero replied with a shrug, oblivious to the pureblood’s ire. “I mean, we’ve become friends since then, obviously. Kain also knows about my allergy to blood tablets, so he’s the one who gets me fresh blood when I need it.”

“Why didn’t you ever come to me with this?” The words left Kaname’s lips before he could stop them, and he regretted them instantly.

Zero looked at him like he was mad. “Come to _you?_ Kuran, you’re a fucking _pureblood_ and you always acted like I was the dirt beneath your shoe. But you’re asking why I didn’t come to you with my _problems?_ ”

The pureblood’s face grew hot at that, but he couldn’t truly say that Zero was _wrong._ He had a tendency to act a bit— _immature_ , perhaps, when it came to the boy and he could admit that. 

“I wouldn’t have used something like this against you, Zero, surely you know that. I just don’t see a reason why you felt the need to go to Akatsuki.”

Zero scoffed at that and turned to face away from the man, mouth twisting into a sour expression at the sheer entitlement in the pureblood’s voice. “God, I swear, it sounds like you’re a jilted lover right now. I bet Yuuki would have a few things to say about her brother- oh my bad, I mean her _lover_ getting jealous over someone else.”

“Would you stop with your incessant jokes about Yuuki and I’s relationship?” Kaname finally snapped. “I am very much aware of the circumstances surrounding our engagement, but how quickly you forget that it was not only _I_ who had a less than conventional relationship with my sibling, Zero.”

The hunter’s jaw tightened as he pretended not to have the faintest idea what Kaname was on about. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, but I believe you do. You saw how Ichiru looked at you, how he _spoke_ to you. I think we both know his feelings towards you were a bit more than those of a brotherly nature.”

Zero’s shoulders sagged because he knew what the pureblood was getting at. He saw Ichiru’s eyes darken with something unspoken when he saw him and he heard the underlying desire and devotion in each word his brother had spoken to him. How could he not? Ichiru made no move to hide it.

“That doesn’t mean I ever let him _act on it!”_ He snarled in response. 

Of course, he’d known of his brother’s feelings, but he’d never reciprocated. For God’s sake, they were _siblings!_ Anything beyond that would be horribly wrong and even if they hadn’t been related, Ichiru had changed in the years they’d been apart, and Zero never liked what kind of person his brother had become in the end.

He wondered now if maybe he was part of the reason why his brother was dead. If he had just reciprocated Ichiru’s feelings, would he still be alive right now? Was it his fault Ichiru was dead?

Kaname’s heart sank like a stone as anguish filled Zero’s expression, and he pinched at the bridge of his nose while closing his eyes. He knew Ichriu’s death was a sore spot for the hunter. He shouldn’t have even said anything in the first place. Why was it that he seemed to only cause Zero pain whenever he spoke to him? He hadn’t meant to hurt Zero and seeing the hurt on his face, he would take it all back if he could.

The pureblood cursed himself silently. Why hadn’t he simply kept silent? He and Yuuki had broken their engagement for partially the very reason Zero was so against it. So then why couldn’t he just tell Zero that in the first place and be done with it?

“I shouldn’t have said that,” Kaname quietly muttered as he opened his eyes and looked at the hunter once more in search of the hunter’s forgiveness. 

Zero sighed as he dragged one of their bags closer to him, opening it up and rummaging through it while only half-listening anymore. He was too damn sober to have this conversation right now.

“No, you shouldn’t have.”

“I’m sorry.”

Zero emerged victorious with a silver flask in hand after a while. One that was still mostly full, judging by the weight of it. That was good. He needed the alcohol right now.

“Mm.” Call him crazy, but Zero wasn’t sure how much he believed those words. All Kaname seemed to be doing lately was apologizing to him, which made his words come off as less than sincere.

The pureblood took a breath before finally confessing, “Yuuki and I aren’t getting married.”

Zero whipped back around to stare at him with wide eyes. Damn, had he already drank enough that he was hearing things? Usually that took more than just alcohol though. Maybe he’d lost it and this was some kind of auditory hallucination?

“What?”

“That night I ran into you, I was coming back from visiting Cross. I told him Yuuki and I had mutually agreed to break the engagement between us.”

Zero reeled back in shock, coughing as he choked on a sip of whiskey. Right, not hearing things then and _not_ a hallucination. Which was odd. He never thought he’d see the day when Kaname _or_ Yuuki, for that matter, would willingly break their engagement. After all, they were practically glued to each other’s side and Yuuki’s whole world revolved around Kaname.

“You- _why?”_

“Partially for the very reason you just said. We are siblings, and Yuuki was raised to consider such relationships taboo. Beyond that, we discovered our feelings for each other are purely familial.”

“And why the _fuck_ didn’t you say something earlier?” Zero took a harsh swig and slammed the flask down onto the ground with a glower at the brunette. _All the fighting we could have avoided…_ “God, Kuran you could have just _told_ me that!”

“I know.” He could have and he should have. Yet childish though it may be, he wanted to hurt Zero the way the hunter hurt him when he spoke of Kain. 

It was curious indeed, that Zero had this effect on him. Of course, he wanted the hunter, how could anyone look at the boy and _not_ want him? But in the past, Kaname had never been this possessive of his bed partners. He would enjoy fucking them, but he always grew bored with them rather quickly and cast them aside. So why was this so different? What was so special about this boy to have this effect on him? 

Kaname hadn’t the faintest clue what it was about Zero Kiryuu that captivated him quite so much, but he intended to find out.

“You’re fucking stupid, you know that?” Zero groused with a shake of his head. “Should have just told me that from the start, dumb ass.”

“I know.”

“Obviously not or you would have done it. You know… sometimes I think all we’re capable of is fighting with each other.” Zero voiced with a laugh. There was no humor in it. He shook his head and knocked back another swig of whiskey, letting it linger on his tongue before swallowing and letting the burn warm him from the inside.

“Sometimes I think the same.” Kaname agreed, watching the hunter glow from the light of the flames. With golden lights dancing off of silver strands, Zero looked ethereal. Long lashes batted against pale cheeks when he glanced at Kaname with those big violet eyes of his—deep enough that the pureblood could drown in them. 

“Isn’t that fucked up?” Zero asked the ceiling above them. “Maybe _we’re_ fucked up.” 

Kaname stole glances at Zero’s pink lips as he spoke and wondered what it would feel like to kiss them. “I don’t think you’re fucked up at all, Zero.”

“Yeah? Well, glad one of us does.” Zero cracked dryly. “Tell you what, let’s call it even. All this fighting over stupid shit and whatnot, let’s just call it even between us. I’m so fucking sick of fighting.”

The pureblood smiled faintly at Zero’s words. It was rare to see the boy so honest like this, but Kaname attributed that to the whiskey and the fact that Zero was definitely sufficiently tipsy at this point.

“So am I.”

“Let’s start over then. No more animosity or any of that childish bullshit.” 

“Why, I thought you hated vampires.” Kaname teased, heart stopping in worry when Zero turned to look at him. _Have I mis-stepped again?_

But then the hunter’s lips curved into a crooked grin. 

“I did.” He leaned in close to Kaname then, as if sharing a secret. Kaname’s breath froze and his brain short-circuited for a moment at the distance between them, wondering distantly if the boy meant to kiss him. This close he could taste the whiskey on Zero’s breath. “But that was before one of them saved my fucking _ass.”_

Zero whispered the words with such a straight face that the pureblood couldn’t help the chuckle that bubbled out of his throat at that. The hunter pulled back away with a harsh cackle of his own and took another swig from the flask in his hand.

“Let’s just say that tends to change one’s perspective a bit.” Zero finished, with a giggle and offered the flask to the pureblood beside him. “So, friends, yeah?”

Kaname didn’t much care for alcohol aside from wine, not a fan of the burn that came with hard liquors nor how they tended to lack in taste. He took the flask from Zero’s hand and held it to his lips.

“Friends.”

And as the liquor burned going down his throat, Kaname liked to think that he could faintly taste the hunter on his lips. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kain said trans rights!


	9. Chapter 9: I can't be what you want me to be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zero comes face to face with the knowledge that there may be something beyond friendship that Kaname wants from him. But he'd resolved years ago never to repeat his past mistakes, to never go down the same road with anyone else as he did with Tomas. He refuses to let history repeat itself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, you're not seeing things and your notifications aren't fucking up, I promise. I had to re-upload this chapter because I accidentally uploaded the unedited one earlier and didn't catch it until just now. This is what happens when you forget to take your meds, kids. So that was my bad, so sorry for the extra notification!

_Kaname lapped eagerly at Zero’s sensitive folds, unable to get enough of the taste of his mate. Beneath him, a shudder ran through the hunter’s form as Kaname’s tongue circled his sensitive clit, powerful thighs tightening suddenly on either side of the pureblood’s head. Zero ground his hips up into Kaname’s face as pleasure wracked his form._

_“K-Kaname- oh fuck!”_

_With a devious smile the brunette dragged his tongue up and down the hunter’s sopping cunt as Zero’s hands tightened in his hair and a symphony of breathy moans left the man’s mouth. The hunter arched his back sharply off the bed with a keen as finally, Kaname decided he’d teased the hunter enough and licked into his mate’s wet, tight cunt with his mouth in an imitation of what he wanted to do to Zero with his cock._

_“Ah- ngh! Fuck, so good, Kaname! Don’t- ah—don’t stop!” Zero whined above him, head twisting to gasp into the pillow beneath him as his eyes fluttered closer. He dug his feet into the mattress beneath them, arching his hips up into the touch, gasping and writhing among the sheets, trying in vain to breathe through the waves of pleasure crashing down upon him._

_The pureblood continued to lick at the hunter’s pussy, loud wet noises filling the room. Zero’s wetness was sweet on his tongue with an underlying hint of salt and Kaname’s cock hardened in his trousers at the taste and smell of his mate, so wet and eager for him. All for him. But it still wasn’t enough. It never was, and it never would be. Kaname could never get enough of his mate._

Red eyes opened slowly, blinking a few times as Kaname craned his head to take in his surroundings. Disappointment followed as he realized the warm, soft mattress of his dream had been replaced by the cold, hard ground of reality. _Ah, right, the hunting mission with Kiryuu._

Of course, as it all came back to him, it only brought with it red-hot shame crawling up his neck. He’d been dreaming about the boy sleeping only a few inches away from him. Again. And to make matters worse, his arousal stubbornly refused to go away. Kaname cursed himself for his own lust and lack of self-control, but _gods,_ he’d never wanted anyone quite as much as he wanted that boy. _Really, Zero, you don’t know what you do to me._

_Wait._

Kaname quickly sat up, erection softening as he realized that Zero was nowhere to be found and his fangs were poking dangerously at his lips. A rich, heavy fragrance of copper hung heavy in the air. _Blood._ Not just anyone’s blood either, no - he’d know that scent from miles away.

That was _Zero’s_ blood. 

The pureblood was on his feet in an instant, not even bothering to reach for his shoes before racing out of the tent. He didn’t think or pause to rationalize what could have happened. Hell, he hardly even _breathed_ before chasing after the delicious scent coating the air.

It was still night out and the forest dark when Kaname tore through the place far faster than any human could. He dodged around trees and bushes easily, barely making a sound and sending terrified animals scampering out of the way. His heart pounded harshly against his ribs, blood rushing to his ears as he swept through the forest uncaring of anything or anyone in his path; all he cared about in that moment was Zero and the danger the hunter was in. Everything else was trivial in comparison.

His mind could not help but wander, picturing various horrible scenarios in which Zero had been hurt or tortured or kidnapped. Even worse were the vivid images of the hunter’s grisly demise that his brain conjured. Kaname shook them aside with a hiss and refused to consider such possibilities.

The scent trail of Zero’s blood finally led him to a small lake where Kaname managed to come to a stop just in time to avoid taking an unfortunate dive into the water but not before knocking a pile of items into the liquid with a loud splash.

A figure stood in the middle of the water, taut muscles and scars covering pale skin. Silver hair practically glowed under the moonlight, pale strands dripping with water as a head tilted back with closed eyes and released a contented sigh.

Said figure immediately stiffened at the resounding splash and spun around with an arm raised to cover the scars on his chest. 

“Who the-“ Violet eyes squinted in the darkness before the hunter relaxed slightly but his glare remained. “ _Kuran?_ What the _hell?”_

It was then that the glint of a silver chain connected to a gun caught Kaname’s eye, the weapon resting on the bank of the lake. Right next to the hunter’s clothes that he’d knocked into the frigid waters.

“Don’t just ignore me, you asshole! What the hell are you doing? Were you- were you _watching me?”_

“No!” Kaname quickly assured him, even though it was difficult to speak, with that rich, delicious scent clouding his senses right now like a drug. “I woke up and smelled your blood. I was worried you were hurt. Are you?”

Zero rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers. 

“ _No,_ I’m not hurt.” _And even if I was, I can take care of myself,_ Zero refrained from saying. This time at least, Kaname had just been trying to help and he couldn’t well begrudge him that. “I just didn’t want to make a mess with my er- _monthly bleedings._ They usually start pretty heavy and the water is good for my cramps, anyway.”

“Monthly bleedings?” 

“Jesus Christ, Kuran. Do I really have to explain what a menstrual cycle is to you?”

Kaname reeled back in surprise at that information. He wasn’t quite sure why, given he’d _known_ what sex Zero had but somehow hearing that the hunter bled was a shock to him. And that shock was followed very quickly by concern. 

Zero had wandered out of their tent in the _middle of the_ night, smelling like he’d bathed in blood. And he’d done so in lands that werewolves were known to roam—which meant there had to be vampires around as well. Wherever one was, the other kind wouldn’t be far behind. Not only that, but he’d left Bloody Rose away from his reach should he have needed it. What had Zero been _thinking?_

The pureblood didn’t realize he’d spoken aloud until Zero interrupted him.

“I _know,_ okay?” He retorted hotly. “I know it was fucking stupid and I own that. But do you really think being locked in a closed space with a _pureblood_ while smelling like a fucking gourmet meal would have been any better?”

“I-“ Kaname started to protest before realizing what the hunter meant. Even a pureblood as controlled as Kaname would have a challenging time controlling himself in such a situation; especially given that he hadn’t had a blood tablet in days and his want for the hunter had Zero smelling more delicious than any blood he’d ever tasted. 

“You have a point. Still, I don’t think it was a wise idea to go wandering off on your own.”

“What, are you my guardian now? My _sworn protector_ or some shit?” Zero drawled in a voice thick with sarcasm.

Kaname frowned at the hunter as Zero waded closer to the shore. “Why do you always do that? Whenever someone shows concern for you, why do you always brush it off? Why are you so afraid to get close to people?”

Zero huffed. “Look, I’m a hunter. Feelings get people killed in my line of work, that’s just how it is, nothing personal. You can’t be wasting time worrying about other people when you’re facing down a horde of level Es.” 

Feelings were dangerous to hunters, they all knew that. Zero learned that himself, first-hand, and he wasn’t about to let it happen again. The hunter waded through the water enough to pick up his sopping clothes and deposit them unceremoniously on the shore.

“ _Kuran.”_

“Yes?”

“My clothes are fucking soaked.”

“So they are.”

“I know it was you who knocked them into the lake, moron.”

“And?”

“ _And_ I can’t walk back to the tent through the freezing woods and snow _naked,_ you idiot!” Zero seethed as he rose out of the water, droplets of pink and red-tinged water dripping down the inside of his thighs. “Give me your shirt.” He demanded as recompense. Thank goodness his underwear and cloth pad seemed to survive dry and intact beside his gun.

Kaname hesitated briefly under the force of the hunter’s glare. His head was spinning from having the source of that delicious scent so close to him and Zero was far from hard to look at either. It took a great effort to steer his gaze away from the pale, muscled hunter before him as his throat tightened.

The pureblood unbuttoned the dark shirt before handing it over to the hunter. He remained standing in place while Zero looked at him with obvious impatience.

“Oi, Kuran.”

“Yes?”

“You _mind?”_ Zero asked, motioning for him to turn away.

“Ah, my apologies.” Kaname turned away with a dry mouth and heard clothing rustling shortly after, followed by a telltale jingle of chain as Zero fastened Bloody Rose around his hips once more. Crescents of red were left behind where Kaname dug his nails into his palms, trying to calm his vampiric nature that yearned for a taste of the hunter.

“Okay, you’re good.”

Nothing could have prepared Kaname for the sight he saw when he turned around. His shirt was large on Zero, the ends nearly reaching his knees even and two buttons remained undone at the top, showing off a pale collarbone. 

For once the pureblood was thankful that Zero was unable to hear the uptick in his heartbeat, nor see the way his pupils dilated at the sight. He was so thirsty and he hadn’t anticipated that seeing the hunter wearing his clothes would cause this much of a reaction. The pureblood reveled in the sight before him and something possessive in him gave a pleased trill at seeing Zero like this, whilst the other part of him wanted to drink the boy dry, drain him of every last drop of blood he had.

He wanted to have the hunter more than anything, right then and there. Kaname wanted to kiss him. Gods—he longed to touch Zero, to run his fingers and lips along pale skin, marking him like no one else could and to see if the little hunter tasted as divine as he smelled.

“Thanks,” Zero said, oblivious to Kaname’s less-than-innocent thoughts about him. His eyes skimmed over the pureblood’s bare torso for the briefest of seconds before the boy looked away hastily. _Okay, maybe I can see what Yuuki saw in him now. Damn._

For one, the pureblood had a good half a foot of height on Zero at _least_ – which, okay, that one wasn’t too surprising given that Kiryuus weren’t exactly known for their height. He folded lithe arms across his chest as he watched the hunter with amusement. Zero wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, honestly. Bulging muscles? Or some extremely ripped body of a man who spent all day exercising?

But Kaname just looked, well, average beneath all the tacky school uniforms they usually wore. Which meant that his strength probably came from his pureblood powers and somehow _that_ idea was much more interesting, in fact. _Fuck, he could probably hold me up like it was nothing._ Zero squirmed in discomfort at the growing heat between his thighs as he imagined Kaname’s arms holding him up, clutching his legs around the man’s waist as the pureblood fucked up into his cunt, hard and fast. 

_Come to think of it…_ Zero’s eyes wandered down to the waistband of the pureblood’s pants. _I wonder how big his di-_

No. Nope. Zero firmly shut that shit _down._ He was not going there. Not now, not ever, thank you very much. Kaname might look pretty, but it wasn’t worth it. Because sex inevitably led to _feelings._ And Zero was not ready to go down that road again. _Never again._

Besides, god knows there was a basket full of crazy in the brunette’s head and like hell was Zero dealing with that. Definitely not happening. _Fucking hormones._

“Don’t mention it. We’re friends now, aren’t we?”

“Not if you keep pushing it,” Zero muttered. “Now let’s just go back to camp before I freeze my ass off out here.”

Zero was all-too-aware of the red gaze burning into his skin as they traipsed through the woods, even more so than the cold snow crunching underfoot. He tried his best to brush it off until he finally decided he’d had enough and paused in his steps. “Would you _quit?_ Jesus, I’m not a fucking art exhibit to be gawked at.” He growled.

A sly smile crossed the pureblood’s lips. “Are you sure? Because from where I’m standing, you are certainly a piece of art.”

The glare fell right off of Zero’s face as he gaped at the brunette. “You’re not- you aren’t seriously flirting with me.”

“What if I was?”

_What if he was?_ Zero hadn’t considered that. Mostly because it was highly fucking unlikely to be true, given how just a few days ago they’d barely tolerated each other’s presence. _But he admitted he’d never hated me,_ a voice in his head whispered. Yet Yuuki- _had mutually agreed to break the engagement._

Caught up in his thoughts, the hunter failed to notice when the pureblood advanced on him. Before Zero knew what was happening, he found himself looking up into red, red eyes that were _much_ too close for his liking. The hunter’s breath stuttered to a halt in his throat at the pureblood’s proximity. 

Zero was frozen stiff as a sheet of ice, unable to move or do anything while his skin tingled like a current of electricity was running along it. This whole situation struck him with an odd churning familiarity.

“Zero.”

_“Zero, can I kiss you?”_

_The hunter looked at his lover with purple eyes wide in shock. Kissing- kissing wasn’t something that Zero did. Kissing meant feelings and feelings were just… no. Feelings were bad and dangerous and feelings got people killed._

_Unconsciously his tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip as he looked up at Tomas. There was so much desire and adoration in those dark eyes. So much love. That Zero felt his resolve crumble around him to dust._

_“Yes. Please.”_

“Stop!” Zero’s hands connected harshly with the pureblood’s chest, sending him stumbling back away from the hunter. The younger man clapped a hand to his mouth as his stomach twisted with nausea.

“Ze-“

“Don’t call me that!” The hunter wheezed as he struggled for breath. Oh god, this was bad. He was drowning, drowning in the deep, deep dark without a drop of water. Oh god. His legs shook with the need to move, to _run_. 

“Kiryuu?” Kaname questioned slowly, like speaking to a frightened animal.

“I- I can’t do this,” Zero managed before turning on his heel and racing back towards the campsite without waiting for Kaname. His lungs burned with the effort but his legs carried him quickly and easily across the ground as adrenaline burned in his veins. 

Finally, the familiar dark form of the tent took shape out of the darkness and the lump beside it that was Zephyr, still quietly dozing, unaware of the commotion going on around him. Zero skidded to a halt and doubled over, heaving in lungfuls of air. 

_Fuck._ A thin sheen of sweat beaded on his skin. He shouldn’t have left Kaname there. Hell, if the pureblood hadn’t hated him before he surely would now. _Maybe I deserve it though._

Zero gave a low, breathless chuckle that carried no mirth. He paced around for a few minutes, willing his heart to calm down and shamefully hoping that maybe the pureblood would reappear. When Kaname didn’t show, Zero finally gave up and dove back into the tent.

_I can’t do that again. Not ever again._ He’d loved Tomas, more than he’d ever dared to love anyone, and in the end he’d gotten the man killed. What kind of lover did that make him? _I ruin everyone and everything I touch. I can’t drag Kaname down too. Not him._ Yuuki would never forgive him if he did, nor would Kain or Cross or any of them. He’d never forgive _himself._

Just like he still hadn’t for Tomas.

It’s hard to say how long passes. Hours. Maybe minutes. Either way, Zero is wide awake when he finally hears the opening of the tent rustle and a dark shape move inside. The hunter remains where he lies, back to Kaname and eyes firmly fixed on the opposite wall.

“Zero. Talk to me.” Kaname begs in a near-silent whisper. _Help me understand._

The hunter stiffens and tugs the thin blanket of his sleeping mat higher. 

“We still have a few hours before we need to head out. You should try and get some sleep.” He spoke in a frigid, stony voice that told Kaname not to argue with him. “Go to bed, Kuran.”

Kaname frowned as he settled down beneath the covers, heart heavy in his chest. He couldn’t stop wondering for the life of him where and when he’d gone wrong.


	10. Chapter 10: Ivorgarde

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zero and Kaname finally reach the village. The reception is a bit colder than they were expecting...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tiny little note about this chapter: I'm using a favorite headcanon of mine in this fic, which is that vampires can control how much they lengthen or retract their fangs. So what I mean is, obviously they only lengthen them a bit when feeding, esp from a person that they don't want to hurt. But their FULLY lengthened fangs are about 2-3 inches long and they obviously don't fully lengthen them unless they're really intending to fuck a bitch up. I also imagine their claws are easily a few inches in length too.
> 
> Just wanted to make that clear so y'all know that when fangs are mentioned in this chapter, I don't mean those wimpy, half-inch canines.

A heady, savory scent greeted the pureblood as he awoke beneath the distinctive scent of wood burning in a fire. Once more, Zero was gone, leaving only an unkempt blanket, and a wrinkled, flattened pillow in his wake. But this time the flap at the tent entrance was open and letting in annoyingly bright rays of sun. Kaname grimaced to himself. He’d never get used to being awake during the day rather than at night.

He exited the tent where he found the hunter kneeling on the ground beside a low-burning fire, working quickly with a knife in his hand to clean and gut a small animal. Zero had kept the shirt from last night it seemed, but he’d also tugged on a pair of dark pants. His hair was in wild disarray around his head, and it seemed like the copper fragrance clinging to him had lessened somewhat. It was still there, but far less noticeable than the night before and cleverly covered by the scent of the animal’s blood.

Zero spared him a glance, looking up from what he was doing as Kaname took a seat beside the fire. This close Kaname saw that what he’d originally assumed to be a knife was actually one of the hunter’s claws that he was using to slice through the creature’s skin.

“Morning,” Kaname greeted.

“Hey,” Zero returned, licking a trail of blood from one of his claws and smacking his lips together. “Huh, that’s actually not bad.” He decided with a pondering tilt of his head. “Want some? It’s been a while since you drank anything.”

Kaname grimaced. “Much as I appreciate the offer, I think I’ll have to pass. Animal blood isn’t to my tastes.”

The hunter shrugged and returned to cleanly removing the creature’s innards and cutting off slices of raw, pink meat. He then fixed the meat onto a stick as best he could and held it over the fire, letting the fragrance of roasting meat fill the air and make his belly grumble.

“I didn’t know you hunted.”

Zero snorted. “I don’t. Not usually that is, but I do when I’m on a mission occasionally. There aren’t enough ration bars to last and those things are shit anyway, so I had to learn to get by.”

“You don’t find it repulsive having to skin and gut the animal yourself?”

“Not really, you get used to it after a while and when you’re a hunter you see much worse things, anyway.”

“I don’t doubt that.” 

Zero gently took the meat away from the fire then, pink flesh having cooked to a nicely crisp brown. 

“Want some? Come on, it’s not that bad, I swear.” He asked, pulling the stick back and blowing on it before tearing off a piece with his teeth and chewing as he held the meat out to Kaname.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt.” Though he looked less than enthusiastic about the prospect, Kaname reached out and plucked the food from Zero’s hand. He lifted it and took a cautious sniff. It smelled like rabbit, or at least as close to a rabbit as one could probably come these days.

Kaname took a slow bite of the meat. Strange, but it didn’t taste all that bad. Gamey certainly, and chewy, but it wasn’t terrible at the very least. He took a few more bites before passing it back to Zero. The hunter certainly needed the food more than he ever would.

Zero ate quickly and quietly, stealing quick furtive glances in the pureblood’s direction now and then. Near the edge of the camp, Zephyr’s tail swished happily as the horse chewed on bits of grass poking through the snow. 

The hunter knew he should probably say something. Anything, really. Too much had happened for him to _not_ say anything. But what could he say? 

Turns out, Zero needn’t have worried about breaking the tension between them at all. Kaname did it for him.

“We need to talk about last night.”

Immediately Zero winced at the memory of his own actions and Kaname catching him while he was fucking bathing, for god’s sake. “We really don’t.”

“Just because you deny it, doesn’t mean it never happened, you know.”

“Nothing happened last night, Kuran. You already know about me and my- how I am, and you caught me during a bad moment. That’s all.”

Kaname hummed. “And what about what happened afterward?” _Between us?_

Zero’s jaw tightened. “Nothing happened afterward. We got caught up in a moment, and that’s all. Don’t make this out to be a bigger deal than it needs to be.”

Everything about that statement irked the pureblood. Zero’s casual tone and his indifferent attitude to his own words, all of it grated on Kaname’s nerves. Something very much _had_ happened last night, and he knew it just as well as Zero did. So it annoyed him very much that the hunter continued to pretend otherwise.

Not to mention that the hunter’s tempting scent was still lingering around him like a cloud of perfume. Not noticeable to other, lesser vampires perhaps, but to Kaname, it was still as pungent and fresh like someone had drowned the hunter in blood. It only furthered his want of the boy until it felt like his own lust was going to drive him mad.

The pureblood faced Zero’s glare head-on, almost like the hunter was daring him to contradict his words and just _waiting_ for the chance to put a bullet in him should he do so. 

“Very well then,” Kaname said instead, surprising the younger boy. “ If you say nothing happened, then nothing happened.”

For the rest of the day they rode on in relative silence, with Zero once again taking Zephyr’s reins in his hands. 

Kaname remained firmly seated behind the hunter, eyes flickering about the trees and horizon. He took careful whiffs of the air, searching for that telltale bitter scent of vampires or any werewolves that might be looking for easy prey. It wasn’t that he doubted Zero’s words, on the contrary he knew Zero was more than capable of protecting himself. But being caught off-guard by a whole pack of wolves or the occasional lone, cocky pureblood would be a nasty fight all the same and the hunter’s leg had _just_ near completely healed. He didn’t need another wound right now.

So the pureblood kept a careful vigilance over their surroundings, which helped to distract him from the tempting fragrance of Zero’s blood that was so tantalizingly close. It didn’t help either that the warmth of the hunter was pressed right up against his front, Zero’s ass nearly brushing the pureblood’s clothed cock and his pale neck on full display.

Kaname forced his gaze away with a low growl, hiding the fangs that had lengthened behind his lips. _Gods-_

“Look,” Zero interrupted his thoughts, drawing Zephyr to a halt. He pointed down below them on the mountainside where a large cluster of brick and stone and wood buildings could be made out, dark shapes darting along the dirt roads in between them and smoke rising from chimneys. Miles upon miles of dense dark trees stretched around it, near so far as the eye could see. Yet faintly, Kaname heard the churning and rushing of water. _A river?_

“Is that-?”

“Ivorgarde?” The hunter interrupted him without taking his eyes off of the village. Not for the first time, Kaname was reminded of Zero’s wish to get this matter over with as soon as possible. He frowned to himself. “Sure is, shouldn’t be too far now. We should be able to reach it by sundown today. God, I’m so looking forward to sleeping somewhere that isn’t the inside of a tent. My back is _killing_ me.”

“Sleeping in an actual bed again does sound rather appealing, now that you mention it.”

Zero had no waspish reply for that it seemed, only a quiet chuckle accompanied by a stretch of his back and kicked his heels into Zephyr’s sides. 

A few hours later they were finally on level ground once more and traipsing along the dirt road as Ivorgarde loomed ahead of them. People scurried along busy streets in worn, ragged clothes, carting handfuls of clothes or food. Children screamed and laughed as they played in the same streets, dodging around the impatient adults.

The village itself looks plain and crude. With its black wooden rooftops, half of which are rotting, chiseled stone walls that crumble and crack, and murky woods, Ivorgarde has a desolate atmosphere.

The main attraction is the rushing river on the edge of town that also doubles as the town’s primary source of trade with its generous supply of fish.

“Just so you know, you might want to keep your head down and let me do the talking around here,” Zero muttered under his breath as they drew closer to the village.

So dazed at Zero’s scent was he, that Kaname took a moment for the words to register. And when they did, he huffed. “And why is that?”

“Because dumbass, these people don’t take kindly to strangers. We’re both outsiders and no offense, but I don’t think they’re used to seeing people like us. My silver hair will attract enough attention for the both of us to have to deal with without you flashing red eyes at everyone who looks at you the wrong way. Plus you do kind of give off a certain _air._ ”

“What do you mean by _that?”_

“I _mean_ that the way you talk, the way you hold yourself—everything about you, Kuran, just screams money and education, and definitely _not_ a native around these parts. You have to admit, you do kind of stand out. That’s going to put these people on edge and at best they won’t tell us anything. At worst? They find out you’re definitely not human some shit and I end up having to massacre an entire village to save your ass after you start a witch hunt.”

Zero could only imagine how Cross would take _that_ news. He winced at the image.

Kaname wanted to speak up at that and tell Zero that it would take far more than a village of some peasants to bring down an ancient pureblood like himself. But he refrained. It was probably not entirely the best choice to divulge that particular bit of information just yet.

“I suppose I see your point, even though I don’t like it. I’ll do my best to keep out of sight.”

“That’d be a good idea. And- thanks… I guess.”

A few beats of silence passed between them before Kaname couldn’t resist. 

“I never thought I would see the day when Zero Kiryuu would defend a bloodsucking leech of all people, let alone offer to massacre an entire village of humans to protect a pureblood. I must say, I am _touched,_ Zero.”

The hunter grumbled just as Kaname predicted at that.

“Don’t push your luck, _Highness._ ” Though his words were thick with sarcasm, the pureblood caught the tips of his ears turning pink. Kaname hid a smile.

Zero wasn’t wrong, it turned out. As they approached the village, a hushed blanket of stillness fell over the place. He knew they probably made quite the sight—a tattooed man with silver hair riding tall atop a huge black blood horse and Kaname deigning to walk alongside Zephyr instead, his cloak weathered from the journey across the wastelands and through the mountains drawn around him with the hood up.

Everything just stopped. The children playing in the dirt all froze in their tracks, smiles falling from their faces. Older men and women paled at their approach and hastily ducked out of the way, heading for homes and slamming doors, drawing curtains.

“I think they know we’re here,” Zero muttered under his breath. Jesus, it was like a sudden, deadly storm swept over the place with how fast everyone moved to avoid them. He led Zephyr down dirt streets until he spied what must be the only Inn in town.

_The Jackalope Inn._

As far as Inns go, this one looked like it’d seen better days. It was a shabby, wooden building with two floors, a handful of windows with crooked wooden shutters and a roof that looked damn near ready to cave in. Loud drunken shouts and noises of revelry carried from inside the place that told him either the booze was really _that_ good or folk around here were just that desperate for any kind of alcohol to warm their bellies that they’d settle for anything. Zero was betting on the latter. 

Zero had stayed at worse places, he supposed as he walked Zephyr past a small, wooden fence and made sure to tie him securely. Not that anyone would steal a horse, but black bloods could fetch a pretty price so he wouldn’t put it past them.

The loud noise of chatter greeted both vampires inside the inn, drunken patrons either playing games of cards or excitedly conversing with one another over a pint or two. Low flames burned in sconces on the walls around the main room. Behind a counter on the far wall, a gruff, plump man whose age showed in the gray of his bushy beard struggled to keep up with orders of food and drink.

“Hey,” Zero wasted no time stalking towards the owner of this place. There was no use in mingling with these drunken idiots anyway when they probably couldn’t even tell him their names—no information to be gained here, but at least they could get a decent night’s sleep with any hope. His hand slammed down on the counter with a few coins between his fingers. “Two rooms, if you please.”

The man behind the counter glanced at him with hard eyes and frowned immediately upon seeing Zero. “ Huh, never thought I’d see the day when an outrider darkened my doorstep. Times must really be desperate, but we don’t take kindly to strangers here, outrider.”

The hunter squared his shoulders and narrowed his eyes. _Of-fucking-course. Why am I not surprised?_ Not that he could blame the man. These days it paid to be suspicious of everyone and every _thing,_ but it was also a massive inconvenience right now and the cramping in his abdomen had the hunter’s temper running short. Well, shorter than usual. 

“Pah,” The man turned around and spat on the ground behind him, folding his arms. “Outriders don’t ever bring anything but trouble, trouble, I tells ya.”

“Can’t we come to an arrangement? You seem like a smart man, I’m sure we can come to an agreement that will suit us both.” Zero pulled his lips into something he hoped resembled a smile and added three more coins to the pile.

While Zero tried to get them a room, Kaname pulled away from him to watch the Inn’s patrons mingling about. All of which stank of rank sweat and liquor—typical human odors. But he was more than aware of the looks he and Zero were attracting from tonight’s patrons and not all of them were just curiosity. Most were caught up in their own discussions with one another or too invested in some tavern game to pay much attention to the hooded outsiders that had intruded upon their drinking den, but a few of the rowdier drunks just frothing at the mouth for a fight, now _those_ held no such qualms. 

He caught a trio at a table nearby, eyeing him up from where they sat in rags and stinking of piss. Seeing his clothes, they likely thought him easy pickings to mug for some easy coin. Kaname sighed as he frowned at them from beneath his hood, gaze flickering back over to Zero at the counter where the hunter was currently engaged in a heated argument with the Innkeeper. As amusing as it would be to watch the hunter well and truly lose his temper, he should probably stop that before the boy ended up making a scene.

As Kaname moved though, he found his path suddenly blocked by the three drunken louts who’d been eyeing him up earlier. He nearly choked on the overpowering odor of piss and sweat this close. _I really don’t have time for you pathetic, sniveling flesh golems._

“’Ey, now, where do you think you’re going? What’s the rush, outrider? Got somewhere to be in yer fancy dress?” The man who’d shoved him asked with a gap-toothed grin. “You trying to frighten us by dressing like that, stranger, ain’t ya? Trying to be _scary_.”

“We ai-“ Another one of the men attempted to speak up. “We ain’t scared of your kind here, outrider. But you ain’t welcome round here.”

“I’m not sure who you think you’re speaking to, but allow me to assure you it would be in your best interests to move out of my way. _Now._ ”

One of the men hiccupped. “N-Now tha ain’t very nice. Ain’t your Mama ever teach you any manners? What do we _say_?”

The pureblood gave a roll of his eyes from beneath his hood, knowing his breath was wasted on trying to speak with these piss-soaked worms. This was exactly why he hated having to deal with humans.

Another one of the men boldly reached out to push Kaname backward with a hand to his chest, the pureblood grimacing at the thought of this man’s grubby hand touching him. He should remove his hand just for that. But he was in a charitable mood—Zero had asked him to play nice, after all.

The one with the gap-toothed smile stepped back at that, sharing a glance with his companions. “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue, outrider? Or maybe you just think you’re better than us. That it, stranger? You think you’re better than us just cause you dress fancy? I think this stranger needs to be taught a lesson or two, fellas. Needs someone to take him down a peg.”

Kaname pursed his lips and looked back to where Zero’s argument was growing more and more heated. He really didn’t have time to deal with these fools. Nor the patience for that matter. He carefully lifted his head, enough to look up at the men before him and stretched his mouth open, unhinging his jaw and bearing deadly sharp fangs at them, his eyes a blazing crimson. 

_Humans were so easy to frighten,_ he thought as the men’s faces immediately blanched but this time it worked in his favor. He resisted the urge to snicker as it had the desired effect on the men, making them stiffen on the spot before backing away with eyes white and wide with horror.

“Demon!” Gap-toothed man shouted, drawing the attention of the whole place as he pointed a stubby, shaking finger in Kaname’s direction. “I-It’s a demon! A fucking _monster!”_

At that, the Innkeeper strode out from behind the counter with a grimace as the place went quiet, people all scrambling over one another, trying to get a glimpse of the commotion currently happening. “What are you on about now, Billie? I swear, ain’t a day goes by nowadays without you getting piss-drunk and spilling some wild story to anyone foolish enough to lend you an ear.”

“This ain’t no story, that there’s a demon!” He shouted with a finger jabbed in Kaname’s direction. “He-he ain’t human, I swears it!”

Kaname looked up at the innkeeper with eyebrows drawn together on his forehead, teeth perfectly straight and his brown eyes without even a trace of red. 

“Good man, I’ve no idea what this drunk is on about. I did absolutely nothing to him, yet here is accusing me of being a _demon_ of all things.” He shook his head with a chuckle. “Perhaps he’s had a touch too much to drink?”

The Innkeeper swiped a hand over his face. “You’ve been bothering my patrons for weeks now, Billie. I won’t have you making up lies now, trying to scare off good people who carry good coin. For God’s sake—this man looks just like any other to me! Ain’t nothing unnatural about him and you ought to be right ashamed of yourself for such lies.”

“B-but I saw-“

“You saw what? You’re so drunk off your ass, you probably ain’t seen nothing but your own shadow and you’d be running scared.” The old man said, earning a round of chuckles from a few curious on-lookers watching the scene. “Now off with you, before you go hurling insults at anyone else and earn yourself a beating.”

The Innkeeper managed to shoo the drunken man and his companions out of the place eventually, muttering something under his breath about them probably winding up dead someday, with more beer than blood in their veins. The crowd quickly went back to what they were doing as soon as they learned that there was clearly no more entertainment to be gained here, and soon the place was filled with loud conversation once more.

“Apologies about his lot,” The man gruffly said to Zero and Kaname afterwards.

“He do that often?” Zero asked with a pointed raise of his brow. “Must be hard to get business with him insulting everyone that comes in the door.” 

“Ah, more often than you’d think. Billie is a drunken fool who’ll wind up dead someday, mark my words. He’s been coming here for drink ever since he got banned for life from the tavern on the other side of town. Now look, I ain’t fond of you outriders myself, but that don’t mean I was raised without manners like that bumbling idiot. Awful sorry ‘bout him.”

Zero pushed his coins on the counter closer with his hand and raised his brows. “Tell you what, give us a couple of rooms and we’ll keep this little incident to ourselves, hm?”

The man looked at him with a crooked frown for a moment more before finally swiping the coins from beneath the hunter’s hand.

“Alright, alright, I suppose coin is coin no matter who it comes from. I can’t do two rooms, but you can have the last one available. How’s that?”

Well, it wasn’t ideal, but Zero knew it was the best they were getting, whether he liked it or not. “Fine. Deal.”

The room wasn’t much to look it. High ceilings rose above them and there were no windows along any of the wooden walls. Probably a good thing given their _sensitivity_ to sunlight, but Zero hated how enclosed it all seemed. He would have preferred another exit besides the door. 

There was a large bed sat in the center, dark wooden posts carved with bears and wolves and animals that were scarcely seen these days. A chest sat at the foot of the bed and a wooden dresser across the room. Above the bed a picture was mounted, showing colorful flowers and swans but not at all looking like it belonged there. 

And that was all of it save for an adjoining door that led to a washroom. Zero assumed from that alone that this building must have been left over from the old world, repurposed into the Inn it was today as connected washrooms were a luxury that not many buildings had today. 

At least the place looked _clean._ The fluffy red and white patterned rug on the floor was bright and spotless and the sheets on the bed were neatly folded and a clean fragrance that suggested they’d just come from the wash.

“Now what?” Kaname questioned as they deposited their bags on the floor. There was still light out yet; it seemed a shame to let the time go to waste when they could be asking about the recent string of attacks.

“I think I saw some kind of market going on in the square when we arrived,” Zero offered, following his line of thinking. If nothing else, it could be a good way to integrate themselves with the locals and maybe see if they were lucky enough to get someone to talk to them. “Shall we go make some new _friends?_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another important thing I wanted to mention since someone asked about it in a comment, is the reason that Zero is able to get wet and why he still menstruates, which I thought was a really good question to ask, so I'm just going to paste what I wrote in my reply here, in case anyone else is curious about the reasoning behind it.
> 
> So, for this fic, it's important to remember that Zero is still half-vampire, so he has those vampire healing capabilities as well. Which means that for him, hormones can only do so much before his body basically says "woah, nope!" and perceives the hormones as a potential threat and works against the hormones and essentially his body would start to attack itself, sort of like an autoimmune disorder. That’s pretty much what happened to Zero a while back before this fic started, even though we don’t see it in this fic because I’m debating doing a prequel about that. So, when his body began to attack itself, he had to go off of the hormones because he got suuper sick (something similar happened to Kain’s sister too, I just figured it wasn’t important enough to include). That, and in this world of course, hormones are harder to come by and even more expensive than they are nowadays.
> 
> So, in short, Zero was on HRT for a while, before his body made him have to stop taking them. 
> 
> I hope that clears up any confusion you guys had and I'm always happy to answer any questions if you have them! :)


	11. Chapter 11: Pride goeth before the fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our two favorite vampires manage to locate a potential source of information on the local killings that have been going on. Kaname's concern and Zero's prideful stubbornness butt heads once more when Zero proposes that he go off on his own to see what he can find and Kaname is the only one to realize that the scent of blood clinging to Zero and the active werewolves in the area is a recipe for disaster. Zero listens to that as well as he listens to anything else from the vampire, of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for internalized transphobia in this chapter! It's pretty mild and pretty brief, near the end, but I figured I'd warn you guys since the last thing I want is to trigger anyone.

Despite their strange appearances, the market Zero talked about seemed to be the one place folk didn’t cast the peculiar pair of outriders a second glance. Wooden stalls and booths filled nearly every side of the small square, with an old, mossy statue sat in the center of it all like a silent, watchful guardian. Rows upon rows filled the rest of the place, creating neat little cobblestone pathways that were crowded with people, all pushing and shoving past each other.

For a while, Zero and Kaname aimlessly wandered, allowing themselves to be dragged by the crowd. They occasionally paused to peruse people selling handmade garments or odd food items that the pureblood had never heard of before. Among such things were hand-knitted scarves from sheep’s wool, jellied cubes coated in something white and powdery, and much too sweet for either of their tastes and carefully crafted golden pieces of jewelry, while others were much simpler items such as jams or eggs or fresh milk. A most bizarre assortment of wares.

They took their time, walking slowly and not really looking at anything so much as trying to make it appear that they were. If nothing else, Zero hoped it would make people see them as less intimidating and even approach them. 

A hope that was dashed as the evening began to drag on after a while, and most people still seemed reluctant to talk to the shady-looking strangers. At most, people cast a few curious glances their way, but never so much as a ‘hello’ was ever directed at them. 

After a few hours, the crowds began to dissipate as the violet hues of dusk stained the sky. Booths started to be taken down as everyone headed home to either prepare supper for a waiting family or head to bed in preparation for an early day of work in the morning. Zero caught Kaname’s eye and gave a short nod for them to do the same. It was evident they weren’t going to find any information here anyways. 

“Excuse me - you there! Yes, you good fellows!”

Zero and Kaname paused simultaneously at the sound of a voice, and Zero turned with a scowl painting his features. The greeting had come from a rather short and portly man, whose lower face was covered by a bushy black beard.

The hunter raised a brow at the man. “Need something from us?”

“I just- I don’t believe I’ve seen you around here before, have I? My memory is a bit spotty, you see, so you might have to refresh me if we’ve met.”

“We haven’t. My companion and I just arrived in town. We’re just passing through, don’t worry.”

“Ah, I _see!_ Well, in any case, it’s always a pleasure to see new faces around here! We don’t get to see many visitors around these parts.”

“I can imagine,” Zero muttered before clearing his throat and offering a polite smile. Dressed better than anyone else in the small town in his shabby suit, the man clearly stood out as well-off. _Some kind of aristocrat? No, this place is too remote for anyone like that. The mayor or some sort of governer maybe, then._

“Gods – I’ve forgotten to introduce myself, haven’t I?” The man gave a hearty laugh that made his belly shake as he reached out and gripped Zero’s hand in a rough shake. “Mayor of this fine town, Charles Wellington, at your service, good sirs!”

_Pay dirt._ “Just the man we were looking for then. My companion and I have a few questions for you if you don’t mind, sir.” Zero shot Kaname a dark look as he spoke, silently begging him to let the hunter do the talking.

“Certainly!” The man spread his arms out at his sides. “I’m an open book.”

_We’ll see how long that lasts when I start digging around where you don’t want me to._ From his own experience, very few people tended to take well to Zero snooping around in their business, and he doubted this man would be any different. It was apparent from the get-go that this man was just as suspicious of outsiders as the rest of this town, though Zero still wondered why that was. It could just be that they’d had a bad experience or two with thieves or bandits now that he thought about it. That wasn’t too uncommon these days.

Zero cast a low glance around to make sure there were no eavesdroppers about and saw that they were alone. Satisfied, he leaned against a brick wall and fixed the mayor with an appraising glance. 

“I’ve heard word that recently Ivorgarde has run into a string of bad luck.”

Of course, Charles’ face paled at that as Zero hit the nail on the head. _Predictable._ He cleared his throat and raised his chin.

“And what might you mean by that, good sir?”

The hunter shrugged and stifled an amused smirk. Usually, he didn’t bother with this much dramatics, but damn if it wasn’t fun messing with the funny little man. 

“Disappearances. Odd noises. Livestock turning up dead. Why, a good friend of mine, even said some folks were turning up murdered around town.”

“I see,” Charles hedged, his gaze turning shrewd as it flickered between Zero and his silent companion. “And what might some petty, false rumors be of concern to two strangers? Come to think of it, I never did get your names.”

Zero smiled. “Let’s say my companion and I are willing to look into these… incidents, for you. Provided, of course, that you tell us what you know.”

The mayor stroked his beard and appraised both men before him with a critical eye. “What are you two – soldiers? Mercenaries? You hardly seem like either to me. How much would this cost, exactly?”

“We aren’t either,” Zero assured the man. “And I assure you, we’ll rid you of your little _problem_ free of charge. My friend and I enjoy the hunt more than anything, and with us, no one need ever know of these incidents. We’ll take care of this quickly and quietly, so long as no one gets in our way.”

“Whose to say you aren’t lying?” Wellington questioned.

“No one,” The hunter answered honestly with a shrug. _Smart man._ “But what have you got to lose? We aren’t asking for any money or goods. Only a few questions answered.”

“I suppose you’re right,” The man surrendered with a slump of his shoulders. “So are you lot some kind of hunters then? Surely you must be if you aren’t mercenaries or soldiers.”

“Of a sort.”

It was Kaname who answered, his voice a quiet murmur, but the comment earned him a side-eyed glance from Zero, all the same, the hunter’s eyes narrowing at the comment before he turned back to the mayor, not giving the man a chance to press them on the matter. 

“Do we have a deal?”

“Yes, I suppose we do, gentlemen. Now, what say you two fellows stop by my humble abode for a drink, shall we say, tomorrow evening? I've got a bottle of fine brandy that I’ve been saving for the right occasion, and these types of questions are always better answered with something to ease the nerves beforehand. What say you?” 

_Shit._ Zero really didn’t want to waste a second of time here, and he somehow doubted the mayor would actually know anything that would be of use to them. But he couldn’t turn down an invitation like that without inviting more suspicion onto both of them. 

“Sure, that sounds agreeable to me. I always enjoy a glass of good brandy.” He answered with a plastic smile.

Wellington’s hands clapped together at that. “Splendid! A man with taste, I see. Very well then, I will see you both tomorrow at sundown. You’ll find my abode down by the river, impossible to miss.”

“We’ll be there.”

Zero bid a hasty farewell to the mayor then, anxious to retreat before the man could draw them into another conversation. The man struck him as a talker, and well, Zero wasn’t one for talkers.

At least by now, the sun had completely gone down, and its harsh, burning rays had been replaced by the gentle, silver glow of the moon overhead. The hunter frowned and glanced around as he scuffed his feet while he walked.

“Thank god that’s over. I hate having to talk all formal like that. I swear it makes everything I say sound like I’m a fucking asshole,” Zero complained, glancing at Kaname. “What about you? What did you make of that guy?”

“Well, he’s certainly already had more than his fair share of liquor today,” Kaname answered with a pointed raise of his brow, knowing full-well that Zero had likely smelled the liquor coming off of him in waves just as the pureblood had. “And, to be honest, he seems like an idiot.”

Zero barked out a laugh at that.“Might be why he doesn’t like outsiders. I mean, it’s pretty damn obvious he knew that we weren’t from around here before he even walked up to us, and if I had to guess, I’d say he doesn’t like that fact.”

“Do you think he’s our werewolf?”

“Him? No, I doubt it. I could tell just by shaking his hand that he’s never worked a day in his life, let alone running around regularly through the woods on all fours. The guy’s incompetent, don’t get me wrong. But he doesn’t strike me as our resident lycanthropic killer. He’s hiding something for sure, but it’s probably just his alcoholism and maybe an affair if I had to guess.”

“Oh? What makes you think it’s an affair?”

“ Well, for starters, the man smelled like a fucking bouquet underneath all the booze, and I highly doubt he’s got a habit of wearing floral perfume. Not to mention that obvious stain of red on his collar that didn’t exactly get there by itself.”

“What makes you so sure either of those weren’t from his wife?”

Zero gave Kaname a dead look then. “I saw the man coming out of a brothel before speaking to us. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t exactly speak to me as a man that’s faithful.”

Kaname found it in himself to chuckle lightly at that. Leave it to Zero to notice something that not even he had caught. _Just when I think I have you figured out, you always surprise me, little hunter._

“I take it you don’t think he actually knows anything useful then.”

Zero scoffed and kicked at a pebble. “Probably not. But it would just make him watch us closer if we didn’t at least ask, and the last thing we need is him breathing down our necks. Which is why you’ll have a drink with him, listen to his bullshit, and maybe that will be enough to keep him happy.”

“I’m sorry – I will be the one drinking with him?” Kaname questioned with an uptick of his brow. The very last thing he wanted was to have to deal with that moronic man by himself without Zero to act as a buffer. “What will you be doing then?”

“Glad you asked. _I_ will be seeing what other people around here think of their Mayor and what _useful_ information I can dig up,” Zero answered in a low tone. These people might not like outsiders very much, but he had ways up his sleeve of getting information from people.

“You’ll be careful?”

Was that his imagination, or did the pureblood actually sound somewhat protective of him? Zero shook his head. _Now I’m hearing things. Lovely._

“I always am. I’m a hunter, remember? This is hardly my first rodeo. Relax, I’ll be fine.”

Kaname pursed his lips and eyed the hunter, still not liking the idea of leaving the hunter to wander around on his own smelling like a five-course buffet. 

“Zero. You reek of blood right now. If you go out smelling like that you’re practically inviting any creature within a ten-mile radius to-“

Zero stopped in his tracks and rounded on Kaname with a sneer painted across his face and a set jaw. 

“I swear to god, Kuran, if you’re about to say that I’m some delicate, little flower, you can fuck right off with that bullshit. Did you forget that I’m a hunter? I’m not some delicate fucking maiden that needs your protection or some shit. I’ve killed bloodsuckers before, trust me, I know how to handle myself.”

Kaname pursed his lips together. _This stubborn boy-_ “No, I haven’t forgotten that. But killing mindless level Es is vastly different from trying to take on a higher vampire.”

“What’s the difference? They both want to drain me dry, right? If you ask me, they’re pretty damn similar in my eyes.”

“The difference is that one of them has years of experience in combat likely, and unlike level Es, they possess enough intelligence to actually think during a fight. You can’t just engage with any sort of higher vampire in a fight without knowing any sort of powers they possess or anything about them, even you know that and doing so would be suicide, not bravery. When are you going to realize you’re not invincible?”

Zero clenched his jaw tightly as his fingers curled into fists at his side. He understood what Kaname was saying deep down, but it wasn’t as though he was about to go gallivanting through the woods purposefully seeking out the bloodsuckers, okay? He hadn’t asked for any of this. Why didn’t Kaname understand that? He’d never asked to have a fucking cunt instead of a cock and balls like most men did, and he sure as shit had never asked for his body to bleed monthly, bringing with it a wave of painful cramps and misery. 

And having Kaname draw attention to just how strange and abnormal he was just happened to be the icing on the shit cake. The hunter glanced away as his face screwed up tightly, and he struggled to draw a breath as his lungs constricted in his chest. He knew Kaname hadn’t meant it like that, Zero knew that he was pretty fucking far from normal, okay? He knew most guys weren’t born with a fucking cunt and that most of them didn’t have to deal with it bleeding for days on a whim. He was reminded of that oh-so-helpful fact every damned second of every shit-eating day, and he didn’t need this fucking asshole pointing it out or treating him like the hunter was some fragile thing that needed to be protected just because of what was in between his legs.

A lump formed in Kaname’s throat as Zero advanced on him with each hissed word, his voice rising as he spoke until he was practically shouting in the pureblood’s face. Finally, the pureblood’s back met with a solid wall, and Zero harshly shoved him back with a hand to his chest.

“I’m not inviting shit, Kuran. And the first fucker who thinks I am, is going to get a bullet put through their skull.” Zero seethed, leaning in close enough that his breath rolled across Kaname’s face. “Spout some bullshit like that again, and they won’t be the only ones.”

Kaname had had enough. Enough of Zero’s backtalk and his cocksure attitude and enough of his fool-hardy arrogance that was going to get him killed sooner or later. He gripped the hunter’s wrists and flipped their positions, pushing Zero up against the wall and yanking the hunter’s hands above his head.

A gasp left Zero’s lips as he found himself pressed up against the wall. “What the hell-“

“Listen,” Kaname snapped, his free hand reached up to grip the hunter’s chin, forcing lavender eyes to his own. “I’m not blaming you because you _bleed,_ you silly, stubborn fool. But I have dealt with your utter stupidity for too long, and it’s time you wake up and see what an idiot you’re being. Do you honestly think you could take on a bloodthirsty pureblood in your current state? Or a whole pack of them? You’re so tired you can barely stand on your own two feet, Zero. I know you’ve hardly slept a wink because of your night terrors.”

The hunter glowered up at the brunette and bared his teeth, wriggling in Kaname’s ironclad grip. He found no give no matter how hard he tried. 

“I’m a hunter.” He gritted out. “I know what I’m doing. I’m not a fucking fragile maiden that needs your protection, bloodsucker.”

“No?” Kaname retorted, leaning down into the hunter’s face and hearing an uptick in Zero’s heartbeat. “Then free yourself. Right now.”

Never before had Zero hated the pureblood than he did at that moment. He ground his teeth together, fighting desperately against Kaname’s hold on him until his breath was coming in panting gasps, and his energy was rapidly fading. All the while it seemed like the pureblood wasn’t even exerting the tiniest bit of effort. Kaname just stared down at him with that flat, red gaze of his until Zero finally went limp.

“What the hell do you want from me, you pureblooded dick?”

“I want you to admit that you’re being foolish and stubborn and realize why it’s a terrible idea to go off on your own,” Kaname said, finally letting go of the boy and stepping back to cross his arms. “Admit it, Zero, you couldn’t even defend yourself against me, how will you fare against a bloodthirsty vampire should you need to?”

Zero set his jaw and looked away from the pureblood. He wouldn’t admit it. Like hell would he ever admit to needing the pureblood’s help. He’d rather die than do that. The hunter shut his eyes as his cheeks burned hot.

An involuntary shudder ran down Zero’s spine as his mind replayed the sensation of Kaname roughly gripping his wrists and dragging them over his head. He could still feel the older man’s cold hands on his skin. Zero’s throat tightened. Had the circumstances been different, he might have enjoyed being handled so roughly by the other man, but as it was now, the only thing he felt was the bitter sting of defeat and knowing that Kaname was right.

“Fuck you,” He finally spat, opening his eyes to glare daggers at the pureblood before him. The hunter spit in the pureblood’s face, the glob of his saliva landing squarely on Kaname’s cheek. “I don’t need _shit,_ and even if I did need help, I’d die before accepting it from someone like you.”

Zero turned on his heel and strode off towards the Inn, uncaring at this point of whether or not the pureblood was following him. _Fucking arrogant son of a bitch._


	12. Chapter 12: Too proud to say you've made a mistake...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zero decides to put his manipulation skills to good use at the local tavern and quickly ends up regretting his decision to go off on his own as he realizes he's gotten himself in way over his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See end notes of the chapter for warnings!
> 
> Oohhh, we're almost into the second arc of the story y'all! Things about to get SPICY! 👀
> 
> I'm really sorry for the slow updates by the way, university classes have been taking up a shit ton of my time and with the holidays approaching I'm just bogged down with so much stuff to do. I do appreciate all of you guys continuing to leave kudos/comments/bookmarks and again, I'm really sorry that I suck at managing my time and that I have so much shit to do. Thanks for sticking with me so far! ♥

_The dark, viscous red liquid was all around him, soaking through his clothes and staining his skin. There was nothing but the smell of copper in the air, thick and heady, and making his head spin and a wave of dizziness wash over him. Zero glanced around with wild eyes and a racing pulse beneath his skin. He was searching frantically, trying to wade through the thick sea of blood that came up to his waist in vain. He didn’t know what he was seeking in this darkness, in this hellish abyss, only that he had to find it. Find him._

_There was nothing but red as far as the eye could see, not a trace of light or life anywhere, only the heavy odor of death that clung to everything like a second skin and permeated the hunter’s very being. Zero moved his arms as the blood rose, trudging through the thick liquid, craning his head this way and that as his breath came in short, quick gasps._

_Finally, he found him floating on top of the red liquid with wide, unseeing eyes. He was still wearing the same dark clothes he’d been in the day Zero lost him._

_“Tomas!”_

_The man’s head craned to look at him, black liquid seeping from his eyes and nose. Zero stumbled backward as his mouth fell open, and his brows drew together, voice reduced to a broken whisper._

_“Tomas?”_

_He blinked, and the figure changed until it was no longer his former lover before him but Kaname, looking at him with those red, red eyes of his leaking black goop like a sieve and a lazy frown on his lips._

_“K-Kaname?” Zero doubled over as bile rose in his throat, unable to keep from retching at the sight before him. He clutched at his head with both hands now. “No, no, no-”_

_The figure stood on jerky limbs and ambled towards Zero like the thick blood was not even an obstacle. Zero hurriedly backed away as fast as he could, though the liquid seemed to be moving against him as if to stop him._

_“No- stop! Don’t come any closer. Don’t-“_

The sound of someone screaming woke Kaname, tortured moans slipping from the throat of the man beside him and pained whimpers filling the air. He sat up in a hurry as Zero’s hands clutched the sheets in a white-knuckle grip, his head tossing and turning in panicked gasps.

“No! Don’t! Stop it, don’t-“

A frown laced the pureblood’s brows as Zero’s chest rose and fell in rapid succession, beads of sweat gathering on his skin as whatever nightmare it was this time pulled the boy deeper into its clutches. Kaname prodded the man lightly to try and wake him. It didn’t work, the hunter too far caught in the depths of his night terror, and a frown appeared between the pureblood’s brows as his throat tightened.

This wasn’t an unusual occurrence if he was honest. Zero had one of his infamous night terrors nearly every night now, tossing and turning while tortured groans escaped his throat. Kaname never tried to wake him, the episodes hardly ever lasting for more than a few minutes anyway and by the time he was woken up by the noise, it was usually over. 

Not this time, it seemed, though. He hadn’t ever seen Zero have a night terror quite this bad before. Yes, the hunter would groan and kick and toss and turn, but he’d never screamed like this quite before or struggled like he was fighting for his very life.

“Zero,” Kaname tried, leaning close to shake the hunter’s shoulder, fully expecting for Zero to call out for Tomas again, as he often did when in the throes his night terrors. But the name that left the hunter’s lips had the pureblood pausing.

“No! Kaname-“

A massive stone settled in his gut. Was Zero’s terror due to the pureblood’s appearance in his dream? Had the hunter’s imagination conjured up some demon to take Kaname’s own form before terrorizing the hunter?

_It doesn’t matter,_ Kaname firmly told himself despite the heavy which weight settled in his chest. What mattered was waking the hunter up before he hurt himself or woke up the entire village. Kaname took no joy in seeing the boy battle the demons of his mind - best to wake him.

“Zero, wake up. It’s only a dream,” He said and gave a harder shake of the boy’s shoulder, jostling him.

That worked. Zero’s eyes snapped open abruptly then, a scream leaving his lips as he came back to reality once more. He shot up from where he lay and let the sheet that had been covering his chest fall to his lap. His breathing was still heavy as he struggled to place himself, turning to look at Kaname though not really seeing him, eyes wide with lingering panic.

Kaname let the hunter’s hands come up to carefully cup his face, fingers running gently over the skin, barely touching him at all. The pureblood almost didn’t dare to breathe, not wanting to spook the boy any further. 

“Zero?” 

If the boy heard him, he showed no signs; instead he continued to map out the contours of the pureblood’s face, eyes dazed and glossy.

“K-Kaname.”

The sound of Zero’s voice, husky from sleep, saying his name sent goosebumps rippling across the pureblood’s skin for an entirely different reason than fear, and his shoulders fell as he softly exhaled. 

“Yes, I’m here.” He caught Zero’s hand by the wrist. “Are you alright? You were having one of your night terrors.”

“I… was? Shit, did I wake you?” Zero’s words were a soft slur as he murmured, only half-awake still. He allowed himself to fall forward towards the pureblood’s chest, leaning his forehead on a broad shoulder.

“It’s fine, I’ve been woken by worse things,” Kaname murmured. After a moment’s hesitation, he brought a hand up to brace on the boy’s back, rubbing circles with his thumb idly. Zero must have been either more terrified than Kaname thought he was or still mostly asleep, as he didn’t even protest the action. “What were you dreaming of? I’ve never seen you react quite so intensely before.”

“I-“ Zero pressed his eyes closed as he tried to wrack his memory and found nothing. “I don’t know. I remember… death. A lot of it. It was surrounding me, choking me, invading my mouth, and my nose- I couldn’t breathe without being inundated by it. It- it was horrible.”

Kaname’s eyebrows drew together at Zero’s words. He couldn’t imagine what must have been going through the hunter’s mind in such a situation. Without thinking of it, he brought his other hand up to gently card through the hunter’s short, silver locks. Zero shuddered beneath the touch before relaxing against him.

“Calm yourself, Zero, it was only a dream. It was a harmless figment of your imagination, nothing more. It can’t hurt you anymore.”

“God, it felt so- so _real_.” 

“A trick of the mind. No matter how real it seemed, I assure you it wasn’t.”

“Yeah, I know. Just… _fuck._ ” Zero groaned against the vampire’s shoulder, the sound muffled by the fabric of Kaname’s pajama shirt. Were the situation any different Zero might have teased the pureblood about wearing pajamas, while the hunter preferred to sleep in just his briefs. “I’m sorry for waking you up.”

Zero pulled away from Kaname with a yawn.

Kaname’s eyes softened at the sight of Zero’s rare, more gentle side. Not many got to see the hunter in such a state, and he’d be lying if he said his chest didn’t swell with warmth at the sight. “As I said, it’s not a problem. There are much worse things that I’ve had my sleep disturbed by, trust me.”

Zero offered a lazy curl of his lips. “Thanks for waking me up, by the way. I uh- I appreciate that you didn’t let me suffer through that.”

And now the hunter was _thanking_ him as well? He indeed must still be mostly asleep, for the Zero Kaname knew would never say such kind words to him. 

“Of course.”

Dawn was still a long way off yet, and they’d had a late night previously. Not to mention, their obligation of drinks with the mayor wasn’t until the evening. A few more hours' worths of sleep would hardly hurt either of them, Kaname decided as Zero pulled the sheets up around himself and drifted back off to sleep. The pureblood followed shortly after.

Zero grimaced at the noise that reached his ears soon as he set foot in the dingy tavern. To be honest, the place was nothing special. It had a few relatively clean oak wood tables and a blazing fire in a stone hearth while candles placed around gave it a relatively homely glow. A young woman and a boy a few years younger than the hunter himself was struggling to keep up with orders behind the bar. Bodies clustered around each other, people _filling_ the place. Every booth in the wall, every table it seemed were filled with other customers. _Damn, guess there really isn’t much to do in this place but drink, huh?_

The hunter looked at their ragged clothing and compared it with his own. He’d dressed down for tonight, wearing his worn boots, dark slim-fitting pants and an olive green shirt covered with his leather jacket. He just hoped his choice of attire would be enough to pass as one of their own – or that most would be too drunk to care.

Zero shouldered his way through the crowd and claimed one of the few available seats at the bar, beside a plump woman dressed in swathes of greens and blues. He flagged down the woman behind the counter.

“Mead,” He decided after a glance at other patrons from the corner of his eye. He wasn’t much for the stuff himself, but when in Rome and all that shit, right?

When she returned with his drink, Zero gave his best false smile and choked the drink down. It tasted like spice on his tongue, but other than that, it was a pretty dry mead. Not the worst, but not the best either. His eyes skimmed over the crowd, not looking for anyone in particular but sizing up his prey, looking for anyone with loose lips or that just generally looked like someone who was popular around these parts, ripe with gossip. 

“Something you’re after, outsider?”

It took Zero a moment to realize the question had come from the woman beside him, who was now staring at him with a natural smile on her stained lips. 

“What?”

She laughed low and tipped her glass of whiskey towards him. “ _You_ look like a man on a mission, outrider. Anyone with eyes can see that. Besides, you stick out like a sore thumb.”

“Even if I am, I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

“Oh, this one has some _fire_ in him!” She crowed in delight, tipping her head back with a cackle before focusing on Zero once more, utterly unaffected by the remark. “But _that_ would be where you’re wrong. You see, folk call me Sweet Nell ‘round here. I know everything and everyone. Might be able to help ya if you know what you’re looking for, hun.”

The hunter frowned and narrowed his eyes. “What’ll it cost me?”

She shrugged. “First one’s free.”

Zero exhaled through his nose sharply, considering the offer. He clearly wasn’t getting anywhere thus far, and well, he didn’t have anything to lose. 

“Fine. I’m looking for information on the recent string of killings.”

“Ah,” The woman hummed as she sipped leisurely at the whiskey in her hand before looking at Zero over the rim of the glass. 

“You know what I’m talking about?”

“Of course I do, darling. Why there ain’t many folk who _don’t_ know about them killings, people dropping like flies and whatnot. People have been spouting off all kind of nonsense since it began, I swear I’ve heard everything from ghosts to curses and much more, believe me. Unfortunately, I’m afraid Sweet Nell can’t help you there, darling. I know about as much as you do, in fact, you’d be better off talking to Henry.”

She pointed over Zero’s shoulder, towards a group of men sitting around a table playing a round of poker. There looks to maybe be five of them, all in dark, clothes. Most of them weren’t hard on the eyes either – strong jawlines, striking eyes – it’s no wonder at least half of them have a woman hanging off their arm or two.

“Henry is the leader of the Scavengers over there. He’s the tall one with the salt and pepper hair.”

Zero saw him all right. How could he not? The man lorded over the rest of the table with his dark hair slicked back and a stern face with thick brows, in a thick, leather jacket, much like Zero’s own. The hunter had to admit, he wasn’t half bad to look at.

“Shouldn’t be too hard to get his attention, considering he’s been stealing glances at you since you walked in that door, sugar. You’re just his type too – young and _new._ ” Nell added with a wink. “You want information? Go talk to Henry, that’s the best I can give ya.”

“I think I just might.” 

Zero flicked her a couple of coins for her trouble before standing from his seat at the bar. He adjusted his shirt slightly, moving it so that a sliver of pale collarbone was visible and ran a hand through his hair, messing up the silver locks and adopting his best self-confident smirk as he sauntered over.

Henry was the first to look up at Zero with dark eyes as he approached the table, his gaze roving over the hunter’s body.

“What are you playing, boys?” Zero questioned as he leaned against the table and cocked a hip.

“Poker,” One of the other men, a tattooed and heavily muscled fellow sporting a ginger beard, replied gruffly, a busty blonde woman with her arms around his neck tittering.

“Mind if I join? It’s been years since I had the chance to play.”

“Do you even have anything to wager, boy?” The ginger man asked with a glance at Zero’s pockets.

“I don’t have much coin left,” The hunter admitted with a glance he hoped looked sheepish, ducking his head and glancing up at Henry through lowered lashes. _I really deserve a pay raise for this shit._ “But how about something else? A kiss, maybe?” He punctuated the statement by poking his tongue out to lick over his top lip with a coy smirk.

“A kiss?” Another man, completely bald with a rough voice echoed.

“Maybe more if you play nice.”

“Enough,” Henry spoke for the first time since Zero had arrived, his smooth voice ringing out loudly over the table as he raised a brow at the balding man. The boy just told you he’s low on coin, Fischer, let him wager what he wishes. Deal him in.”

Zero gave Henry a secret grin as he pulled over a chair, and the bald man – Fischer, apparently – dealt Zero into the game with a quiet grumble beneath his breath.

It was no surprise when Henry ended up winning that round, thanks in large part to Zero throwing no doubt. Part of the hunter was grateful that it _was_ , in fact, Henry who won though; not only did he not relish in having to kiss one of the other men at the table, but if he played this right he might just get some information as well. The older man gave Zero a dark look over the rim of his glass and beckoned the boy closer with a curl of one finger. 

“Not going back on us now, are you, boy?” Fischer spoke, and Zero suspected it was meant to be a jeer, but it didn’t quite land.

“I’m a man of my word,” He all but purred, his mouth going dry as he approached the ringleader. Zero’s pulse quickened in his chest at the way Henry’s gaze darkened while he glued his eyes to the hunter’s form. A bolt of arousal shot through him as Zero bent down to press his lips to the older man’s.

Henry tasted like whiskey on his tongue, smooth and burning. He swiped his tongue over Zero’s lips, and the younger man parted his lips with a groan, letting the older man explore his mouth to his content. Zero kissed him with vigor and eagerness that – truth be told – was only partly an act. Sue him, okay? The man was experienced, and it showed. Zero hadn’t been kissed like this in _ages,_ and he was starving for it.

The kiss was over all too soon, with the older man pulling back and leaving the hunter standing dazed and lost, lips swollen red from the kiss. It took a few seconds for Zero to come back to reality.

“So, what brings you out here by yourself, princess? Pretty thing like you ought to have someone waiting for you.” Henry questioned him.

Zero stuck his lips out in a slight pout and pretended to ponder the question.

“Why do you say that? Don’t think I can take care of myself?” The hunter’s tongue darted out to wet his lips, and it didn’t escape the man’s gaze, his blue eyes following Zero’s every move. _Got you._

The man just chuckled at that and reached out to wrap an arm around the hunter’s waist. Zero let himself be dragged closer and coaxed into sitting on the man’s lap with a squeak. “Now now, that ain’t it, sweetheart. But there’s been a whole lot of bad things happening in town lately, it ain’t wise to go wandering around by yourself.”

“What bad things?” Zero leaned in close to look up at the man through long lashes, batting violet eyes slowly. “Come on, you’ve got me too curious to not tell me now. Besides, you’ll protect me, right?”

“Well, folks have been disappearing around here for the past few months. Turning up dead with their bellies split open and guts pouring out. Some of ‘em are even missing limbs and organs.” The man explained. “Horrible shit.”

“Like that Leo kid,” Another man across the table added with a shake of his head. “Damn shame, that kid wasn’t bad looking. That mouth was made for cock sucking, I tell you.”

“Who’s that?” Zero questioned casually, though he immediately perked up at the possible lead.

“You really aren’t from around here, are you, sweet thing? Leo was a bit of an odd bird round this town. I always said there was something wrong with that kid. He was a real loner, never really made any friends. A few little shits even started to say his parents weren’t his real parents.”

“What happened to him?”

“He went missing out of nowhere. Just… _gone_ one night. No trace of him anywhere. It was like he disappeared into thin air. A while later, the killings started.”

“How horrible,” Zero commented with a grimace and curled closer to Henry, even as his mind was already working, trying to sort out their words. This kid definitely sounded connected with the killings somehow, but he needed more information. There was no use running off half-cocked unless he had hard evidence. 

The conversation steered away from the killings after that, despite Zero’s attempts to pry more information from the men around him. And he couldn’t much keep pressing them without looking suspicious himself.

Zero stayed for a few more rounds, waging small amounts of coin this time. He ended up winning most of it back thankfully, but he didn’t end up with all that much more than he’d had when he started. Before long, though, he figured out the men had nothing more to offer him and made to leave.

“At least stay for one last drink, won’t you?” Henry asked. Zero firmly pulled his shirt down when the man’s hand on his hip began to wander.

“I suppose I could stay,” He still had a bit more time to kill until Kaname would be looking for him. Hopefully. What was the harm? “Just one, though.”

“Just one,” Henry nodded to one of the other men and tightening his hold on the hunter. “My usual.”

The man rose from his seat and disappeared in the direction of the bar, while Zero squirmed away from Henry’s hand attempting to migrate to his ass. He hoped he wouldn’t regret this.

Kaname let a bored hiss of air escape his lips as Wellington lapsed into another story about one of his ventures out hunting. Already he’d been here an hour now, listening with faux interest over a bottle of wine and the man hadn’t even mentioned the incidents. He was starting to think the man just wanted someone to boast to.

“Pardon the interruption, but you said that you wished to help me and my companion investigate the recent string of disappearances around town,” He interjected as politely as he could. Truth be told, he was contemplating just putting his hand through the man’s chest and being done with this whole thing. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission, after all, yes? And Zero _would_ forgive him for it. Eventually. Probably. “Might we move our discussion to that topic? I hate to leave my companion on his own for too long, given how unwell he is right now.”

Charles blinked at him as though just now realizing Kaname was there for the first time all evening. “Hm? Ah yes, of course, of course. Happy to assist in any way that I can. You must understand, Mr…”

“Kuran.”

“Mr. Kuran. This is a sensitive subject for all of us, such things are difficult to speak of.”

“Naturally. Take your time.”

The man heaved a deep sigh as a weighted frown settled on his expression. “Most of the victims thus far have been young men and women. Adolescents, most of them not even reached adulthood yet. Such a tragedy, I tell you. And the way they were found – torn apart, with their innards and limbs missing. A terrible, terrible sight, even I found it difficult to look at. Mark my words, sir, nothing human could have done such a thing, no sir.”

“Then you think it an animal of some kind?”

Wellington leaned back to stroke at his beard. “It certainly seems more plausible than a human doing such a thing! A few of the bodies were seen with claw marks on them, reminiscent of a bear or a wolf if you will.”

“I see. And, forgive the questions but, each of the victims was slain within a week or so of each other, no?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

Kaname mulled that information over in his mind. That didn’t quite make sense if this werewolf was a rogue, banished or exiled from a pack. Werewolves were similar to vampires in that they didn’t need to eat often and certainly not within a week. _So our wolf isn’t eating out of necessity. Killing for sport then? Or perhaps seeking some misplaced revenge?_

He still didn’t feel as though he was any closer to finding this beast, and an annoyed click of his tongue left Kaname. “Is there anything more you can tell me? It may help us to track down whatever did this before it claims someone else.”

“I’m afraid not, good sir. That is as much as I know about these incidents.”

The pureblood stiffened slightly in his seat at the sound of footsteps outside of the sitting room in the corridor. A moment later, the doors swung open to reveal a woman in a form-fitting dress of red and purple jewel tones. Golden curls fell around her tanned shoulders as she waltzed into the room.

“Darling, you didn’t tell me we were having guests over!” A cheerful lilt filled her voice as she stepped over to Charles’ side, pressing a kiss to the man’s cheek before turning to Kaname.

“Forgive me, my dear. I did not think you would return this soon,” Charles laughed, wrapping an arm around her. “This is Mr. Kuran. He and his companion are here in town to investigate the recent string of incidents. Mr. Kuran, this is my lovely wife, Jezebel.”

She lifted a shocked hand to her mouth as her eyes widened. “You’re here to investigate the killings? Oh, how _awful._ Still, though I wish it were under better circumstances, I am pleased to meet you, Mr. Kuran.”

“As am I,” The pureblood bent to press a kiss to the back of her hand, and the woman tittered in delight at the action. 

Yet beyond introductions, her gaze drifted back to her husband once more without lingering on Kaname. _Odd,_ he thought, noticing how much younger she appeared than her husband. But the woman seemed nothing if not devoted to the man, so perhaps it was just unconventional attraction between the two.

“I’m afraid I should be going now,” Kaname murmured. He’d seen Zero leave off in the direction of the tavern earlier, and he was curious to see if the hunter was making out better than he had this evening. Perhaps at least one of them would have something useful to go on by the end of the night.

Jezebel’s brows pulled into a frown. “So soon? Will you not stay for supper?”

Charles laughed and patted the woman’s hand. “His partner is ill, my darling. Surely we should let the man go be at his side. I should think his partner would not take it lightly if Mr. Kuran here was gone for too long.” He said with a wink in the pureblood’s direction.

“Ill? My, how terrible,” Jezebel drew her brows together. “Yes, you should hurry back then. I do so hate when Charles leaves me while I’m ill. I’m sure this partner of yours must feel the same, Mr. Kuran. I am hoping for a quick recovery.”

The pureblood’s mahogany gaze flickered between the pair, unable to escape the distinct impression that he was missing something here. Nevertheless, he was grateful for the chance to escape.

Kaname hastily left the Wellington manor after bidding his farewells to the odd couple and disappeared off down dark roads, making for the brightly lit tavern in the distance.

“Up for some fun after this, sweet thing?”

“Not tonight. Besides, I don’t think you could handle me,” Zero rebuffed, hoping his words would put an end to the man’s advances. This Henry fellow was starting to get under the hunter’s skin with his persistent affections, despite the hunter having turned him down already tonight. Repeatedly, might he add.

Henry tipped his head back with a laugh as his man returned, setting two frothing pints of beer down on the table. The man raised his and tilted his head back to take a swig with Zero following, not wanting to be seen as impolite.

Zero hummed as he licked his lips, chasing the taste. It was good beer, he’d give it that. Nice and smooth going down, unlike the usual grog he forced down. Something about it tasted slightly odd, but he chalked it up solely to his odd tastebuds. Being turned into a bloodsucker would do that, after all.

The hunter declined to participate in the next round, content to sit and drink as he waited for a chance to escape. Over time though, his head began to spin, and soon it was difficult to watch the match as the movements only made it worse. His temple was pounding something fierce.

Zero blinked as his vision began to blur, hand slowly pushing Henry’s hand away from his person again, in slow, sluggish movements as he ground his teeth together.

“Stop it,” He snapped, yanking the man’s hand off of his inner thigh. He stood with a glare, his legs shaking and swaying like a breeze in the wind. 

A cold sweat began to bead along his skin as some remote part of his mind finally registered that something was wrong. Something was wholly and terribly wrong with this situation.

“Just a bit of fun, sweetheart. Relax.”

Zero mustered all of his strength to shove away from the man as Henry reached for him again. 

“N-no. I don’t fucking want-“ His legs buckled beneath him as soon as he hit the floor, or tried to at least had a pair of arms not caught him.

Kaname looked down at the flushed and sweating face of the hunter in his arms. Zero’s violet eyes gazed back at Kaname, half-lidded and glazed over with fog. He snatched for the stranger’s hand when he tried to reach out and grab Zero. The pureblood’s fingers tightened, threatening to break the fragile bone. He tugged the collapsed hunter closer to his form and out of the man’s reach.

“Tell me what you did to him. _Now.”_ The pureblood’s vision was a haze of vermillion. He was in no mood to hear this man’s excuses. What he _did_ want to hear was how and why there was a chemical odor clinging to the hunter and what that had to do with the smarmy expression on the man’s face.

“And what’s that any business of yours, eh? It was just a bit of fun between friends.”

“I believe I heard him say _no._ ” Kaname’s patience was quickly waning. “No? Then how about we compromise? You tell me what you gave to him, and perhaps I won’t rip your spine out through your throat.”

The man’s face screwed up into an annoyed sneer at that, appraising Kaname with a single glance. He broke the gaze with a loud scoff. 

“Fine, he ain’t worth it, anyway. Just a bit of something me and my men use to loosen stubborn bitches up every now and the-“

That was as far as the man got before he choked on his words, and a thin trail of red dribbled out from his mouth. With wide, shaking eyes he looked down at the clawed hand protruding from his chest, unable to believe what he was seeing. A split second later, Kaname retracted his hand, holding the man’s still-beating heart within his bloodied grasp as the man’s body fell to the floor with a loud, wet noise.

The pureblood raised a brow and toed the limp form with a tilt of his head. “Well, I did say ‘perhaps.’” Kaname then looked towards the other men, all frozen stiff in their seats at the sight. “Let’s hope you’ve all learned your lesson here tonight, yes?” 

With that, the pureblood reached down to help a barely-conscious Zero to stand once more with an arm around the hunter’s waist. He hooked Zero’s arm over his own shoulders and helped the hunter out of the tavern.

Outside in the cold, frigid air, Zero seemed to come around a bit more but not nearly enough to speak. The pureblood pursed his lips together, drawing a line across his palm and holding it up to the hunter’s mouth. Thank goodness Zero wasn’t conscious enough to refuse his blood this time. Kaname was in no mood to deal with his stubbornness right now.

Zero’s fangs attached themselves to the pureblood’s skin as his instincts took over, drinking slowly. With any luck, his blood would help to metabolize whatever drug they’d given Zero out of his system. Kaname withdrew his hand after a minute or so. 

Kaname hoisted the hunter up into his arms, hooking an arm behind his back and the other beneath Zero’s knees. He made a quick journey back to the Inn and deposited Zero onto the bed. All that was left to do now was wait. He made himself comfortable at Zero’s side, unwilling to leave him alone right now and idly stroked through silken strands of silver. _Honestly, the things I do for you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: (implied) drugging, attempted sexual assault, non-con touching (None of that is from Kaname, btw!)


	13. Chapter 13: Body electric

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zero and Kaname have a long talk and Zero has some well-earned alone time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Snickety-snack, guess who's back?!
> 
> (I've been trying to post this chapter for days, but AO3 wasn't cooperating and kept throwing errors at me, so I apologize for the delay!)

A horrible, blinding brightness greeted Zero when the hunter opened his eyes, the pounding behind his eyes intensifying and making the room spin like a goddamn carousel. He sat up as slow as he could, swaying slightly as he did so, a low groan escaping his throat. Violet eyes looked up to the pureblood sitting on the edge of their shared bed and met Kaname’s menacing glare.

“What happened?” He asked in a sigh, bracing himself. His last few memories were a hazy blur, and it was hard to recall much of anything right now, but judging by that expression, he probably hadn’t done anything good. _Better to get it over with now I guess_. 

“You don’t remember? You were drugged, quite heavily, might I add. You’re lucky I arrived when I did – you were nearly unconscious already by that time and if I hadn’t shown up, who knows what would have happened to you. I fed you my blood to help metabolize the drug from your system quicker, by the way.”

“Ngh-“ The hunter rubbed at his aching temples. “Is this the part where you say ‘I told you so’?” Zero asked dryly. “Go on, tell me you were right. Rub it in.”

Kaname sighed. “That doesn’t matter to me and you know it. Those men wanted to hurt you, Zero, and if I hadn’t been there, they might have succeeded. Do you honestly think I care about being right?” 

As a matter of fact, he’d never wanted to be wrong more in his life than last night.

“Alright, fine. If that’s not it, then why are you so fucking pissed then?”

With a huff of air, the pureblood stomped over and gripped Zero’s chin, leaning down towards the hunter.

“I am _angry_ at the obvious, blatant disregard you seem to hold for yourself, you little fool. Even you knew better than to accept a drink from a stranger, Zero, let alone one as shady as those men were. So why put yourself in that situation in the first place, I wonder?”

Zero scowled right back at him, holding Kaname’s russet gaze with his own. The pureblood was so close to him now. Close enough for the hunter to make out flecks of scarlet and gold in his eyes, and for some reason, the hunter couldn’t look away. Unconsciously, his lips fell open slightly, and he licked at their chapped flesh with his tongue, barely even daring breathe.

He didn’t know what to make of Kaname’s words. _Why? Why do you suddenly care so much?_ He wanted to ask, to demand answers of the pureblood and gain insight into the way Kaname had been acting towards him - the concern that he watched Zero with, the gentle way he treated his wounds and how easily he spoke to the hunter like an old friend - it was all so damn confusing. He didn’t know what to make of it all, none of it made any damn sense.

“Why? Why does that matter so much to you?” Zero refused to acknowledge how his voice quivered when he spoke. 

“Is it really that hard to believe that I might care for you? That I might be concerned for you?” 

From where Kaname was standing, at least someone should be because clearly, Zero wasn’t going to be doing much of that himself.

Zero broke away from his grip to hang his head down, focusing intently on the grain of the wooden floor as he shut his eyes. 

“I- you shouldn’t. You shouldn’t concern yourself with me.”

Kaname pursed his lips as his chest tightened at that. Did the boy really think so little of himself? It was probably best to put that thought out of his mind at least, for now, the vampire decided, rather than press the matter and risk making the boy clam up even further. But that didn’t mean he was finished. No, he had plenty to say to the hunter about his foolish, idiotic actions.

“ At least tell me what you were possibly _thinking_ accepting a drink from an absolute stranger like that. Even you know better than that. _”_

“I wasn’t thinking, really.”

“That much is obvious. Really, I expected more from you, Zero. You could have gotten yourself killed or even _raped_ had I not shown up. What exactly were you hoping to accomplish?” Kaname was positively seething, fury lacing each and every one of his words. Did this boy not understand the danger he’d put himself in? Of all the idiotic, stupid, _senseless_ things to do-

“Look, I know, I know, okay? It was a dumb move, I get it. But I didn’t come away empty-handed.” Zero groaned, holding up a hand to his head as he tried to jog his memory. “I found out there was this- this kid, okay? He went missing a while before the killings started. Some teenager named Leo – or- or Lenny, or Larry or something like that.”

Kaname frowned at that. “The Mayor did mention that most victims were young. Teenagers or young adults. You think this Leo was bitten?”

“It would make sense, wouldn’t it? Hell, this town isn’t big, I’d be willing to bet most of those kids were his classmates back when he was human and that he’s just following scents familiar to him. Right now, I think this Leo kid is our best guess.”

“I agree.”

“Good. In that case, I say we go pay our Mayor a visit and see what he knows about this kid.”

“Kiryuu,” Kaname said, trying and failing to get the hunter’s attention. “Zero.”

“What?”

The pureblood gently grabbed the hunter’s hand in his own icy grip. “You’re shaking.”

“Am I?” Zero tried for nonchalant and missed when his voice shook. God, it was like there were thousands of tiny bugs crawling along his skin. He couldn’t’ shake the touch of that slimy _fucker_ no matter how hard he tried and Kaname’s words- _rape._ It sent shockwaves through him, unwelcome images of what might have happened had the pureblood not intervened.

Kaname shocked even himself then, by reaching over and pulling the hunter into an embrace. Zero stiffened minutely before collapsing against him, taking deep breaths of the pureblood’s comforting scent. His eyes fell closed as Kaname’s hand rose to play with silver strands.

“You’re safe now, he can’t hurt you,” The pureblood murmured all the while knowing his words would have little comfort. Zero knew that the man was gone, but getting his body to believe that was a different story. “He won’t lay a hand on you ever again.”

The hunter swallowed. 

“Did you kill him?” Normally he wouldn’t advocate for violence. But this time, he wanted that fucker to _pay_ dearly.

“Yes.” 

Though he was beginning to wish he’d done it slower, seeing Zero so shaken by the whole thing. Were he able to do it over again, Kaname would rip his limbs apart slowly and painfully, making the man beg and plead for mercy that he wouldn’t get.

“Good.” 

And for once, Zero meant it. He was only sorry he hadn’t been there to see it. Hiding his face in the pureblood’s shoulder, Zero made no move to leave Kaname’s embrace, basking instead in the vampire’s scent, it’s familiarity soothing and comforting. With each shuddering breath, his heart calmed a bit more, and the pureblood’s fingers soothed through his hair, helping to distract him from the memory of those horrid sensations.

He almost didn’t want to pull away, but they couldn’t stay like this all day. _No matter how much I want to._

Zero tore himself away from the pureblood’s embrace after a while, flinching as the warm pressure around him disappeared. 

“Alright, I think I’m good now.”

“Are you sure?” And for once, it didn’t sound patronizing and condescending to Zero’s ears. Instead, the pureblood’s voice softened in concern.

“Yeah. I’m sure. Besides, we shouldn’t waste any more time.” 

Zero let out a shout as he tried to stand, and white-hot pain flared through his abdomen. He doubled over with a low hiss, and a hand gently prodded at his back.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Fine,” Zero managed. “Just – fuck – cramps is all.” He looked down at his pants, though, and saw a spreading stain of red. _Shit._

“You’re not fine. You’re bleeding too heavily, I don’t need a pureblood’s sense of smell to tell that,” Kaname argued and folded his arms.

“Relax, highness. I always tend to bleed heavily, this isn’t anything new,” Zero assured him, wincing at another cramp. “I’ll be fine, really. We need to find whatever is killing those people before it mauls someone else.”

“At least eat something first, before you collapse.”

“Tell you what, if it’ll keep you happy, fine,” Zero surrendered, shrugging on a dark green shirt and a pair of pants before lacing up his boots. Truth be told, his stomach was a bit empty this morning. Maybe he could use a bit of food.

A young woman was wiping a cloth over tables as Zero and Kaname came down the wooden stairs. She was a mousy little thing, with hair the color of dishwater held back by a cloth. She immediately spun to greet them upon hearing the noise.

“Wait, I remember seeing you last night,” She commented at Zero. “I remember this fella here bringing you in. Practically dead on your feet, you were.”

“I- er, yes. That was me.”

She swiped her arm across a sweaty brow. “Goodness, you must have had one hell of a night. Tell you what, wait here, and I’ll fix ya something to eat. I think I’ve got some tarts leftover and some Kaha eggs.”

Zero took a seat at one of the cleaned tables, his vision going white at the edges for a moment, as the girl disappeared. Kaname silently took a seat across from him.

The girl returned moments later, balancing two plates. Golden gooseberry tarts topped with rough crystals of sugar and fluffy, white Kaha eggs filled both plates and neatly sliced dark purple fruits known as Loshewan, which tasted like something between an apple and an orange.

Kaname, while primarily not fond of partaking in human food, saw no other choice as the girl went back to work cleaning around them while he and Zero ate. He cautiously took a bite of the fluffy eggs as Zero lifted the tart to his mouth.

Zero let out a low moan as the sweet pastry hit his tongue, only barely managing to swallow before speaking. 

“God, I’ve missed real food.”

The pureblood’s lips curved up at the corners as Zero all but devoured the meal set before him, eagerly taking bites of everything. Purple juice from the loshewan fruits stained his lips and gave them a vibrant berry color. Zero ate like a man starved, but Kaname didn’t mind, watching him lick a piece of sugar from the corner of his lips as he nibbled on his remaining tart. He needed the energy.

Even Kaname found himself not minding the taste of the pastry as he often did with human sweets. The sour taste of the gooseberries helped to cut down on the sugar and made it bearable even to his sensitive palate.

And the smell of sweets and fruit helped to distract him from the heady fragrance of blood clinging to Zero like a second skin. He still wanted the hunter, desiring nothing more than to bite into that sweet, pale nape and pin the boy beneath him to fuck into him as Zero moaned into his ear. But he could put his desire out of his mind for now.

There was something so innocent about watching Zero eat. For once, there was no scowl or glare on his face, only pleasure, and joy at finally eating real food once more. Occasionally a small, pleased noise would escape his throat as he ate, whether conscious or not Kaname didn’t know. The boy was endearing though.

“I could eat nothing but these tarts for the rest of my life and die happy,” The hunter sighed, licking crumbs from his fingers in a gesture that sent heat curling in Kaname’s gut. He quickly glanced away from the sight. “God, if we weren’t on a job right now, I’d ask that girl for the recipe.”

Kaname looked back at that, tilting his head. “I wasn’t aware you cooked.”

A laugh escaped the hunter. “Who do you think made all those sweets Yuuki gave you, genius? Yeah, I like to cook. Well, more bake than cook, but I can do both. When I have the time, that is.”

_Color me intrigued._ “It seems I’m constantly learning new things about you, Zero.”

A soft flush bloomed across pale cheeks as Zero looked down at his plate. _Fucking hormones and shit._ He shrugged. 

“Well, it’s not like I meant to learn how to cook. But living with Yuuki and Cross, _someone_ had to before we all died of food poisoning. Those two are horrible in the kitchen, my god.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Kaname chuckled. Though truth be told, he’d tasted Cross’ cooking a few times. He was still scarred from that experience.

“And after that, I guess I discovered it was actually… kind of fun. It was nice to just relax and not have to worry about hunting or vampires or anything. It was just me and a recipe book.”

“Maybe you’ll let me taste your cooking someday.”

Zero blinked at him with wide, owlish eyes. _But you hate human food,_ he nearly said. The words wouldn’t come. Oddly enough, he didn’t _hate_ the idea of cooking for Kaname. 

“Maybe.” 

_Provided we both make it back in one piece._

After breakfast, more cramps assaulted Zero, so he wound up asking the girl – whose name he learned was _Yasha_ \- to draw him a hot bath, hoping the hot water would soothe his aching muscles.

She was happy to do so and showed him to the small bathing chamber. It was a large, domed room with a stone pool set into the floor in the center of it all. Sunlight filtered through glass windows high above. A mural of the sea, complete with fish, sharks, and all manner of sea creatures amidst an ocean of blues lined the curved wall around him.

Zero set his clothing by the edge of the pool, safe at least in the knowledge that with the door locked, he wouldn’t have any unwelcome visitors this time. He took off his ring and the chain attached to Bloody Rose as well, setting them right beside his clothing before sinking into the steaming water.

A pleased sigh left his lips as he relaxed under the hot water. Zero spread his arms out on either side of him and leaned back, letting his eyes fall closed. It felt unbelievably good to be able to relax in a bath, especially when contrasted with the icy river he’d been forced to bathe in previously. This was definitely much better.

Something pleasant and warm tingled in his belly as Zero finally let himself begin to relax. His cunt grew wet without even really thinking about it. _Fuck, this is why I hate hormones._

Truth be told, he’d been aching for some kind of release ever since his period had begun. It wasn’t surprising, really. He was always easily aroused during his bleedings, and it seemed this time was no different, except that with Kaname always around, he hadn’t had a chance to ever seek release since the pureblood saw fit to glue himself to the hunter’s side. 

_Well, he isn’t around now, is he?_

Slowly, cautiously, Zero brought his hand down beneath the water. He didn’t know why he was being cautious – after all, it wasn’t like the pureblood would suddenly barge into the bathing room without cause. Not even Kaname was that bad.

Letting the growing heat of arousal guide him, Zero grew bolder in his actions. He swiped a finger over his clit, just barely brushing the sensitive nub and shuddering at the sensation. Taking a breath, he repeated the action, slower this time, drawing lazy patterns around the small nub and occasionally brushing his fingers against it as his hips gently moved, pressing into the touch without the hunter even trying. Zero’s eyelids fluttered closed as a flush began to spread over his cheeks.

The young man threw his head back, and a breathy moan left his lips as he dipped one finger into the wetness of his cunt, warm wetness clenching around his finger and staining the water with ribbons of red.

In Zero’s mind, an image rose, unbidden. _A tall, brunette pureblood. Strong arms locking around my waist, hoisting me up._ The hunter’s spine arched as he began to work a second finger into himself alongside the other, his thumb rubbing at his clit in steady, gentle circles. The steam made strands of silver stick to his skin while pleasure raced down his spine.

“A-Ah, ohhh, _shit-“_ God, he imagined the pureblood’s hard cock, flushed and leaking droplets of precum. He wondered what it would look like, what it would _feel_ like, hot and heavy in his hand before his stuck his tongue out and tasted the bitter, sticky liquid collecting at the tip. What would it taste like on his tongue? The hunter gasped, pressing into his own touch as his teeth dug into his bottom lip, trying to stifle his noises as he imagined tasting the pureblood, feeling Kaname’s rigid cock reach all the way back to his throat, rough enough that Zero would feel it for _days_ afterward. A needy whine left Zero’s mouth as he imagined it was Kaname’s cock that was fucking him right now instead of his fingers, bringing him to new heights of pleasure. He bucked and moaned as lust raced through him, taking over his senses and rendering him thoughtless as he chased his own release.

His head tipped back, pale neck straining. He imagined the man holding him up easily, fucking up into Zero’s willing body and the hunter unable to do anything but _take it._ Zero groaned and cursed under his breath, fingers brushing that spot in his pussy that had him nearly seeing stars.

His fingers moved quicker, thrusting into his wet cunt beneath the water and thumb relentlessly moving over his clit. Zero tossed his head, and water splashed around him; he didn’t care, close as he was to his release.

“Oh god- oh _fuck-_ “ Zero’s other hand came up to muffle his sounds as he worked himself harder, the faceless man in his mind fucking him hard and fast up against the wall. His cheeks flushed.

“I- fuck, Kaname!” A sharp whine left Zero’s mouth as he came hard, whiteness licking at the edges of his vision and his release painting the water around him. His body stiffened sharply before falling limp.

Loud, panting gasps left the hunter’s throat as he slowly came back down to reality from his high, cunt spasming through the aftershocks of his orgasm. Zero squirmed at how sensitive he was, all the while trying to catch his breath. He tipped his head towards the ceiling as the water washed away the fresh sheen of sweat on his skin, though his mind was occupied elsewhere.

He’d called Kaname’s name when he came. That hadn’t been a faceless pureblood in his thoughts at all, and the realization hit Zero like a brick to the head. He’d just masturbated while thinking of his friend. 

_Oh fuck._

_It’s fine,_ he tried to assure himself. Kaname wasn’t bad to look at, and with his hormones, he was easily aroused right now. That’s all it was. Really.

Repeating that firmly in his head, Zero quickly finished washing up and drained the bath, watching bloody water swirl down the drain. He promptly attached his gun around his waist once more and fastened his ring around his neck. 

_Just hormones_ , he reminded himself _. Just hormones._

Kaname could not resist the smirk that crawled across his lips as Zero walked quickly ahead of him. He caught traces of arousal still lingering on the hunter, no doubt regardless of how Zero had tried to hide it. 

“Something on my back, or do you just like staring at me that much?” Zero called over his shoulder as he walked.

“It’s nothing,”

The hunter shrugged and continued on as the pair made their way across the village. It was nearly mid-day now, so people milled about the streets, washing clothes in basins and watching children flit about around them. Of course, most of them shirked back at the sight of the outsiders, so it was easy to navigate the dirt roads that ran throughout the place.

Charles Wellington looked up from his seat at the table, crumbs from his early lunch stuck in his beard at the sound of knocking on his door. He rose to follow the noise and found himself greeted by two familiar faces. “Ah, Mr. Kuran and Mr. Kiryuu. Feeling better this morning, I trust?”

The man closed the door behind him and stepped out onto the old, weathered wooden porch to speak to the two men. 

“Much, thanks. If you don’t mind, we’d like to know more about a boy who went missing in this village. Does the name Leo ring any bells?” Zero was well aware of his snappy, waspish tone, but could anyone blame him? The sooner they found this beast, the better. The sooner they found whatever was killing these people, the sooner he could go home and not have to deal with painful cramps or shitty ration bars or his strange feelings towards Kuran.

Charles sighed a heavy, weighted breath. “Ah, yes. I do know of him. Leonard Rahal, that was his full name. He was a good kid, that Leo. He-“

“Mayor Wellington! Mayor Wellington!”

A young boy raced down the street, shouting in between gasps of breath and waving his arms in some way that was probably meant to get the man’s attention but only made the kid look ridiculous. He was a pale thing scarcely more than skin and bones, with a bright mop of ginger hair and a smattering of freckles across his face. 

He doubled over as he screeched to a halt before the trio of men, bracing himself on his knees. Wellington’s thick brows drew together at the sight.

“Goodness, boy! You look like you’ve had the scare of a lifetime!”

“I- I came all the way from Halivaara to-to tell you something happened to Miss Greenfield. She’s _dead,_ sir! Found just under an hour ago, torn apart by some _beast!”_

Zero exchanged a glance with Kaname, subtly raising a brow. _Think it’s related to this rogue werewolf running around?_ Not that he needed to ask. Animal attacks in broad daylight weren’t exactly frequent, even less so around a crowded village like Halivaara or Ivorgarde. There wasn’t any question at this point.

“Where is Halivaara?” Kaname demanded, addressing the boy before Wellington could first. The boy cast him a wary glance, just now noticing him and Zero and unsure whether or not to answer them.

“You deaf or something, kid? Answer him.” Zero snapped, with a glare. He might have felt wrong about his rudeness if it hadn’t spurred the kid into answering.

“N-not far, sirs. Just miles down the river. An hour or two’s ride at the most.”

“Good, then you won’t mind showing us the way.”


	14. Chapter 14: Limits

Dirt kicked up as Zephyr raced through the woods, Zero clutching tightly to the reins as he forced the horse onwards. The hunter wore a tight frown on his face, focused on nothing more than how close they might be to putting an end to this werewolf for once and for all. His abdomen cramped up and twisted, but he did his best to push the pain to the back of his head as he gripped the reins and dug his heels into Zephyr’s side, following the ginger-haired boy who rode ahead of him on his own small pony. 

_The mission has to come first. Always._

The boy finally led him and Kaname through the woods, weaving a path through the brambles and trailing roots of trees before buildings fashioned from wood and logs began to take shape in the distance, accompanied by smoke rising from stone-work chimneys and the noise of rushing water coupled with the occasional creaking groan of a nearby water-wheel. The boy didn’t lead them right into Halivarra though; instead, he veered off of the main path suddenly, steering his pony further into the woods until they came upon a clearing. 

It wasn’t a big clearing by any means, but it had room for a handful of thorny bushes lined with dark berries, which grew beneath rays of sun that beamed down upon them unimpeded by leaves or branches of any kind. Tall pines and cedars towered over the berry bushes at the edge of the clearing. Or rather, they _had_ before being torn apart and now littered the ground in splinters and dangerously sharp spikes of wood. The bushes themselves didn’t fare much better either, trampled and crushed beneath whatever had come through here; their sticky, dark juices soaking into the dirt of the forest floor and giving the air a lingering sweetness.

It looked like a storm had blown through the place, depositing branches on the ground and splitting wood. Entire trees had been felled in areas, their tangled roots upended from the earth like dozens of tiny fingers, leaving behind craters in the dirt. Claw marks scratched at the bark of trees and were etched into the soil and stone around them. Not that Zero needed that last bit of information – there weren’t many things that could fell an entire tree alone so quickly, nevermind this many, after all.

_Damn,_ Zero thought, taking in the carnage around them. _Either this was the work of our lycanthropic friend, or someone **really** doesn’t like deforestation._

“This is the place, sirs.” The boy announced, smoothly dismounting and making his way over broken branches and soft earth. Kaname and Zero followed after him, wordlessly until the boy came to a stop. 

Zero stepped over to one of the trees, this one sporting the cleanest claw marks among them. He cautiously raised his fingers, running them over the rough surface of the bark and deep-seated grooves. Of course, claw marks alone wouldn’t tell him much. With four jagged lines, it could just as easily have been a vampire as a werewolf. Or even perhaps an Iepir if they were _really_ unlucky – large, humanoid creatures that lived in dense forests like these and devoured humans to survive. Although it would be rare to encounter one this far north, stranger things had happened.

“There she is,” The boy announced, standing some distance back and pointing towards a dark lump on the ground, not too far away. Zero hedged closer with the silent pureblood on his heels.

The girl was lying among the dirt with flies and birds already beginning to pick at her corpse. Blonde hair fanned out around her, matted and dirty, and her once-white dress was now torn and shredded, covered in blood and dirt alike in places.

Zero choked on the smell of death in the air, putrid and rotting. He lifted his scarf to cover his mouth and nose, though it didn’t do much good. 

“ _Jesus._ ” 

He’d seen his fair share of dead bodies over the years as a hunter and had grown relatively numb to the sight by now. Yet the one before him was one of the worst ones he’d ever seen.

The girl’s abdomen was torn entirely open, showcasing shards of broken ribs among bloody tissue. Her throat had been shredded into a mess of bloodied tissue and muscle, pink tongue yanked out from her mouth – a messy process and one that had resulted in her teeth knocked clean from her gums by whoever had done this. They lay scattered upon the ground around her like misshapen pearls. One of her arms lay a few feet away, covered in what looked to be teeth-marks and entire pieces ripped clean off of the limb, leaving bleach-white bone showing through. The girl’s dark eyes were permanently fixed wide in terror.

The hunter stepped closer and bent down to examine it further with a frown. His brows drew together in surprise at what he was seeing. It was… odd. He knew what he was getting into when he agreed to see the body, but he’d expected to find the poor thing left in relatively one piece. Werewolves weren’t exactly known for mutilation. At most, Zero had expected to find her ripped open neck to pelvis, her internal organs all completely gone but not _this._

An annoyed huff of breath left the hunter as he cast a glance sidelong at his companion, purposefully lowering his voice to keep the boy from overhearing. “This isn’t right, Kuran.”

Kaname raised a brow as their shoulders brushed together. “What do you mean?”

“I _mean,_ we’re looking for a werewolf here, not Jack the fucking Ripper.” Zero snapped before taking a breath. Right, he was talking to Kuran here, not another hunter.“Look, lycanthropes are known to be pretty clean eaters, is what I’m saying. They like to keep things quick and clean since fear makes the meat taste bitter. More importantly, though, is that werewolves tend to only eat _offal_ most of the time. You know, organs, entrails, that kind of meat. They _have_ to since it’s their primary source of minerals and vitamins. And when werewolves kill, they tend to be meticulous about it too. Spilling too much blood would attract rival packs and vampires, so they usually just make a clean cut with their claws and take the organs to eat unless they can find a use for the whole carcass.”

The pureblood touched a hand to his chin in thought. “So why didn’t this one do the same?” He questioned under his breath, following Zero’s line of thinking. “Well, she is young, certainly. If Leo is our werewolf, that certainly fits with his other victims, at least.”

“True,” Zero gave him that much. “But she was living miles away in a completely different town than Leo. How would he have gotten wind of her scent in the first place?” It just didn’t make sense.

Zero glanced over his shoulder at the young kid watching the pair of them with keen eyes and making no move to hide it. His lips twisted as a thought popped into the hunter’s mind. 

“Hey, kid. Tell me something, this town often have a lot of interaction with Ivorgarde? People going back and forth a lot?”

“Not usually, sir. Save for trade, we mostly keep to ourselves.”

Zero turned back to the body with a furrow between his brows. _Right, so I doubt they were lovers then._ He groaned and ground his teeth together. Again and again, he kept running into more questions with no goddamn answers!

“Maybe he was running out of food,” Kaname proposed.

“Maybe.” Zero shrugged, not really believing it himself. Even without humans, there would have been plenty of animals for Leo to eat around Ivorgarde, and considering Halivarra was the smaller village of the two, it wouldn’t make much sense to go _here_ for food. Suddenly, his violet eyes lit up with an idea, and he caught Kaname’s questioning gaze with his own.

“ _Or_ maybe something ran him out of his territory before we could get to him. Maybe we aren’t the only ones hunting down this wolf.” A trill of victory shot through the hunter, momentarily though it was. He felt like they were one step closer now, another piece of the puzzle slotting into place. But they still lacked the complete picture.

None of this made sense to him in the slightest. Leo was raised in the village, so he didn’t have a pack, that was a safe bet to make. Therefore, who would be hunting him down? It could possibly be another pack leader in a territory dispute, but if that were the case, they likely would have caught him by now since Leo was the younger and probably more inexperienced in that equation. Something just wasn’t adding up, and it irked the hunter that he couldn’t pinpoint it. Zero gnawed at his lip, unable to escape the impression that he was still missing something.

He pressed past the overwhelming stench of decay and waved away the flies buzzing around the corpse. Zero examined the body again, determined to find _something_ else that might point him in a direction to go in. 

_Sharp ends of bone, so not a clean break._ There were no clean cuts in the skin either, but uneven rips of flesh. It was a violent kill then, messy even. Which could mean a few things. Possibly, this werewolf had a vengeance to wreak upon this girl and was intent on making it painful for her. Or it was a younger, inexperienced wolf who didn’t know how to efficiently kill without drawing attention to himself. It was looking more and more like this Leo kid fit the bill for their rogue lycanthrope running around.

“Well, it doesn’t look like this was caused by a vampire, I’ll say that much,” Zero commented as he stood. There was too much lost and wasted blood for this to have been caused by a vampire, and the kill itself wasn’t nearly messy enoughto be an Iepir. Which left a werewolf as the likely culprit. _And that tells me absolutely fucking nothing other than what I’ve known this whole time. Great. Really fucking useful._

He might have been able to search the girl more thoroughly to try and find something he could use to track the wolf, but he was without most of his tools, and magic wasn’t really his forte. Not to mention that kid was still watching their every move.

Zero finally pulled back from the body and stood, deciding there was nothing more to glean from the poor girl’s corpse. He eyed the poor kid that had led them there in the first place, standing and twisting his hands in front of him, shuffling his feet. 

“You knew this girl. Were you close?” Zero spoke gently as he approached, trying to avoid frightening the boy. Well, at least any more than he already had.

“My cousin, sir.”

“I see. Where’s the rest of your family?”

“Dead last winter. All except for my cousin and my auntie.”

_Shit._

“I’m sorry.” 

Being left alone without family was something Zero knew all-too-well. He wouldn’t wish it on anyone. He wished desperately there was something more he could do for the boy, but unfortunately, there wasn’t much for him to do besides catching the werewolf that had ripped the poor girl to shreds. Vengeance was a poor man’s justice, but then Zero never _had_ been a wealthy person.

“Her name was Cecille.” The boy told him quietly.

Zero smiled slightly. “Cecille. That’s a very pretty name.”

Kaname watched as Zero moved back over to the dead girl upon the ground and bent down, placing two fingers on the girl’s eyes and softly closing them. The hunter leaned in close to press his lips to her forehead then, whispering words beneath his breath.

_Your battle is over, Cecille. Go in peace._

“What was that?” The boy asked as he dared to edge closer to the two men, frowning at the unknown language.

“It’s how my people say goodbye to those we’ve lost. We say it helps their spirit to move on from this world.” Zero explained to the child with something wistful in his eyes.

He straightened suddenly, his attention no longer on the boy as something caught his eye across the clearing. He rose before he even knew what he was doing and walked over to the dark object among the dirt with a narrowed gaze.

Immediately an acrid, putrid odor hit him in the face, nearly making his eyes water. A dark puddle of blood was soaking into the soil. Blood that smelled distinctly _inhuman_ and was too dark in color to be anything human either.

Kaname stared after Zero as the hunter bent to examine something on the ground.

“Can you promise me you’ll find whatever did this, sir?” The boy blinked up at him with big, dark eyes. Those eyes were too old for someone his age.

Suddenly the pureblood wasn’t seeing the boy from the village before him. No, he was seeing a feisty young hunter, clutching a butter knife in his fist and driving it through the pureblood’s hand. He saw silver hair instead of ginger and fiery violet instead of melancholy hazel.

The pureblood nodded to the child. “Yes, I promise.”

Zero bent down with a frown and carefully swiped a finger through the puddle of blood before him. It came awake dark, nearly black in color, almost like Zephyr’s blood were it not for the unmistakable scent of wet dog. He brought it to his lips and cautiously stuck his tongue out to taste the liquid. Immediately his stomach protested, nose wrinkling at the taste. It was like licking _fur._

Zero turned aside and spat onto the ground, over and over again, trying to rid himself of the taste. He even lifted a bottle of water from his cloak and took a few sips, swishing it around in his mouth before spitting it out, wearing a grimace.

“Eugh,” He groaned, wiping away saliva and water with the back of his hand before he stood once more, looking around for Kaname. “Oi, Kuran!”

Kaname looked up at the sound of his name and quickly crossed the clearing to the hunter’s side. A low growl unintentionally left his throat as the scent of _mutt_ hit him, and he sneered at the spot of blood on the ground like it had personally insulted him.

“Looks like our werewolf might have gotten himself injured,” Zero announced, filled with no small amount of pride at his discovery. “If we hurry, we might still catch him.”

The pureblood tore his gaze away from the blood to look at Zero, the hunter still smelling heavily of blood himself, and his skin far paler than it should be. Kaname’s dark brows drew together.

“Are you sure that’s wise? You still aren’t looking well, Zero.” He was growing increasingly worried about the boy.

“Do you want to put an end to this or not? If we wait, he’s just going to kill someone else.”

Kaname pursed his lips at both Zero’s stubborn dedication to his mission… and the knowledge that his reasoning made sense. _Not like there would be any stopping him, I suppose,_ he mused, likening back to the last time he’d tried to talk some sense into the hunter.

“I see your point. Fine then, let’s go.”

This time Zero preferred to walk alongside Zephyr, letting the pureblood take the horse instead. Seeing as they couldn’t precisely track the beast using Kaname’s sense of smell alone, the hunter, already skilled at tracking down everything from level Es to sirens, took up the task of following the wolf’s trail of blood left on the ground. And, well, he could admit that he wasn’t eager to be pressed up against the pureblood given what happened that morning. 

Zero’s cheeks flushed at the memory, and he noticed he was staring at the brunette. He forced his gaze away in a hurry.

“This way,” Zero murmured, eyeing where the droplets of blood began to diverge from the main road following the road. He kept his gaze trained on anything but the pureblood. For some reason, even though the pureblood didn’t know what he’d done – there was something inherently stilted and awkward between them now. Like he’d crossed some unspoken boundary.

“You’ve been quiet today,” Kaname said then, as though he could read Zero’s thoughts. He thought he saw the hunter stiffen minutely at that and stifled an amused quirk of his lips.

“Yes, because tracking a werewolf is the _perfect_ time for conversation.”

“No, you’ve been quiet ever since this morning, before we even started tracking this beast,” Kaname countered. “I can’t help but feel as if I’ve done something to offend you. Have I? If so, please do tell me.”

“What?” Zero echoed, craning his neck to look up at the pureblood like he was insane. He shook his head and looked away, focused on something in the distance. “No. It’s not- it’s nothing you did, trust me.”

“Then what is it?” Kaname pressed, wishing he didn’t always have to dig and pry for the slightest bit of information from Zero. Were they not friends now? He wanted the boy to rely on him enough to tell him what was bothering him.

“I’m just tired, okay?” 

It wasn’t a lie. Zero was _exhausted._ His body was heavy and hard to move like there was a thick metal chain attached to him. Every step required effort, and his feet kept stumbling over each other. It was rather like someone had simply stolen all of his energy. 

Regardless of how he felt, Zero couldn’t afford to stop right now though. Neither of them could. Not when they were so _close_. 

Kaname let his eyes fall closed at some point as he followed after Zero, trusting the boy to lead them where they needed to go. The hunter’s blood was still thick and rich in the air, permeating the pureblood’s senses and filling his head with a red fog that he couldn’t shake. God, he could practically taste the boy’s on his tongue, warm and deliciously bitter, full of flavor and _life_ – so unlike those bland tablets he was forced to resort to. His fangs ached to sink deep into the hunter’s flawless skin, puncturing clean through Zero’s flesh and marking the boy as his. That sent a pleasant thrill down his spine, the idea of leaving his mark on Zero for everyone to see. Of course, it would fade rather quickly as all bites do, but he would enjoy it while it lasted.

Another thought arose in his mind then, of Zero’s own fangs biting into his neck. He wondered how it would feel to have Zero drink from his throat instead of his wrist. Would he be harsh, as he usually was, wanting to simply get the whole thing over and done with? Or would he take a gentler approach, out of his desire not to hurt the pureblood and (unintentionally) drawing out the experience? Would he drink in large gulps, careful not to spill a single drop, or would he be a messy drinker, letting the precious liquid run down Kaname’s neck in dark rivulets before following after with his tongue? 

Kaname shuddered as he imagined the boy biting into his throat. He doubted Zero would ever agree to such a thing; drinking from someone’s throat was a very intimate action among their kind, after all, something reserved only for lovers. But _gods_ did Kaname ever crave it.

_Violet eyes blink up sluggishly, at him through thick lashes, pupils blown wide and dark, the boy’s violet iris’ reduced to a thin ring around them. A pretty flush would stain Zero’s cheeks as his lips parted, drawing in desperate little breaths, still dyed red from Kaname’s blood._

_“Kaname,” Zero would breathe then, voice low and husky, drunk on bloodlust. “Please, I need- I need more.”_

_And Kaname would oblige, tipping the sweet boy’s chin up to draw him into a kiss. He would press his tongue into the boy’s mouth, tasting his own blood on Zero’s lips. A bite to Zero’s lip would have the hunter moaning into his mouth and clutching at him desperately as Kaname sucked on his blood._

_He could see Zero spread out beneath him. The boy’s pale flesh would stand out starkly among Kaname’s dark sheets, and he’d avoid the pureblood’s gaze, suddenly bashful beneath the attention. Kaname would press him down into the sheets, clutch his wrists above his head. Breathy moans and pleasured whines would escape the boy’s throat as Kaname sucked angry red marks into his skin and left bruises from his fingertips. Zero’s mouth falling open on a silent scream as Kaname brought him to the height of ecstasy-_

Zephyr pulled to a sudden stop in the road, throwing his head back and letting out a harsh snort, his front leg pawing at the dirt beneath them. The noise coupled with the abrupt movement were enough to drag Kaname from his thoughts and deposit him firmly back in reality. He blinked down at the agitated horse, a brow rising in his confusion before he followed Zephyr’s dark gaze that was fixated intensely on the hunter in front of them.

The hunter was wavering on his feet, like a young tree bending with the wind. 

His violet eyes were squeezed shut as Zero held a hand to his forehead. Everything around him was white and muted, sounds distant, like he was underwater. His limbs felt light as a feather, yet every step was slow and stiff, almost as though he were a puppet being controlled by another via strings wrapped around his limbs. Time seemed slow and speed up around him at random and the earth wobbled beneath him.

Kaname was on the ground in an instant. 

“Zero-“ He only just managed to grab the hunter as Zero began to pitch forward, barely catching the hunter in his arms before the boy’s head collided hard with a heavy rock. 

The pureblood quickly lifted a hand to the hunter’s forehead and came away wet with sweat. This close he could feel Zero’s heart pound much too-hard in his chest and his panting gasps for breath. 

“Shit,” Kaname wasn’t often one for cursing, but he did make exceptions now and then. He gripped Zero’s face, tilting the hunter’s face up so that he could see the way his lashes fluttered, eyes unfocused on anything in particular. “You’re exhausted, Zero. Why didn’t you say something? There’s no way we can carry on with you in this state.”

Zero tried to push away from the pureblood, but he was far too tired to put any energy behind the action. 

“No. We can’t- we’re so close. We have to find-“

“Zero, you’re nearly dead on your feet.”

“It’s not even evening yet though. We’re wasting daylight,” Zero argued. “Can’t- can’t let it hurt anyone else-“

Kaname clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Look at yourself, you foolish little idiot. You almost fainted from overexertion and I can smell the blood wafting off of you in _waves._ Do you honestly think it wise to hunt down a werewolf while you smell like a gourmet meal? Besides, you’re too tired to be of any use in a fight right now and we both know it. If you would let go of your stubborn pride for one second you would see how much of a horrible idea that is. And if you go get yourself injured because of your damned pride you’ll only make things worse. If you listen to me _once_ in this whole journey, listen to me now. _You need rest.”_

Zero frowned to himself, silently. He hated to admit it, but Kaname wasn’t wrong. He _was_ exhausted, there was no use denying that and he wasn’t any good with a weapon right now when he could barely stand on his own two fucking feet. 

_“Fine.”_

It took Kaname helping him to get Zero finally seated on the back of Zephyr after the hunter relented. Kaname hopped up behind him and took the reins with an unspoken understanding that it was probably for the best that Zero _not_ be in control of the animal right now. 

He veered off from the main road, searching for a place to set up camp, knowing that despite how the boy might argue otherwise, there was no way Zero was going to be able to fight any time soon. No, it was best to cut their losses and just set up camp now.

Eventually he found a shallow cave that sat at the base of a cliff. It was dark inside and barely even big enough for both vampires to fit, but it was dry at least and well-hidden by a curtain of leafy vines. Not to mention it was likely the best they were likely to find.

Zero all but collapsed to the cold, stone floor after a shaky dismount from Zephyr. He let the wall of the cave support his weight and watched on silently while Kaname spread out both sleeping rolls and manages to collect enough kindling for a passable fire. 

With a big yawn, the hunter firmly took a seat upon the ground while the pureblood ignited his misshapen bundling of kindling with a snap of his fingers. All the while Zero muttered a helpful comment about how it was all “so fucking unfair.” _Fucking purebloods and their god damned fancy-schmancy powers._

A low chuckle from the pureblood reached Zero’s ears, letting him know that his mutterings hadn’t escaped the brunette’s hearing. Yet, for once the hunter didn’t mind the sound; it was actually kind of nice. 

“Perhaps, but you can’t deny that it’s useful.”

“Sure, sure. But you know what else is useful? A fucking _match._ ” Zero groused with an unimpressed quirk of his brow. “Fucking showoff.” 

Still, he curled closer to the warmth of the flames anyway. He didn’t even know he was cold until that moment but he wasn’t going to turn down the heat by any means.

“You should rest.”

“I know,” Zero murmured around another yawn. His eyelids were starting to droop low now and he was beginning to think he’d made a mistake in sitting down, since he never wanted to get back up again. “And I will. In a-“ Another yawn broke free from him. “In a bit.” 

Kaname fixed him with a stern glower across the fire, one that said he was more than aware of what Zero was trying to do and that it wasn’t working.

_“Zero.”_

The hunter smacked his lips together sleepily. “Hm? What?”

“Rest. Now.”

“Alright, alright,” Zero finally relented, lazily waving Kaname off his nagging. He slowly made his way over to and settled on, the thin cushion of his sleeping roll. “But just- just for a few hours, okay? ‘M serious. Promise you’ll wake me.”

Kaname couldn’t resist the way his lips curled at the sight of Zero, ever the dedicated hunter, even when practically asleep. It was an adorable sight, though he knew Zero would put a bullet in him if he ever admitted as much to the hunter’s face.

“Just for a few hours,” The pureblood agreed. When he looked over at the hunter, the boy was already fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sleep? Who needs sleep?! There will be plenty of time to sleep when you're dead!


	15. Chapter 15: Under my skin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On his way back from hunting, Kaname catches Zero during a rather private moment. Being the generous pureblood that he is, Kaname offers to help Zero with his little dilemma, to their mutual satisfaction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, much love for all the kudos/comments/bookmarks! I know I don't always say it, but they really mean a lot to me and hearing how much you all are enjoying this story really motivates me to continue it! Seeing how much you all like the story so far always makes my day, so thank you so much for taking the time to let me know! ♥

It was dark outside of the small cave by the time Zero woke up. Through the curtain of greenery, he could make out rich purples mixing with the green hues of night in a sky dotted with twinkling stars. The forest had gone all but silent

Kaname was sitting on the opposite side of the still-burning fire, back hunched as he bent intently over a piece of paper, a slender fountain pen in his hand, moving gracefully over the parchment spread out before him. Zero couldn’t resist a smirk at the sight. _Of all the things to bring on a hunting mission, who even thinks to bring a freaking pen?_ He shook his head. _Only Kaname, definitely just Kaname._

“Thought you said you’d wake me.” 

Not that Zero really minded too much in this case, given the rather pleasant dream he’d been having. Though it vanished from his thoughts the second he woke up, there was still a lingering wetness between his thighs and a heat coiled in his belly. He stretched out his limbs leisurely as Kaname softly scoffed.

“The wolf is injured, I think he’s hardly going anywhere anytime soon. Besides, you needed the sleep.”

The hunter… didn’t really have an argument for that one, so he let it be. 

“What are you writing?” He asked instead, eyeing the paper though too far to make out what the pureblood was writing in his fanciful penmanship.

“A letter to Yuuki,” Kaname answered, not caring to elaborate. In it, he’d asked if the woman perchance knew who this ‘Tomas’ was to Zero and call it a hunch, but something told him not to let that bit of information slip to Zero. He hated when people pried into his personal life and from experience that was doubly so whenever someone mentioned this Tomas. Not that that stopped Kaname from being curious. Tomas was likely the one who had given Zero that ring and he was burning to know why.

“That’s great and all, but how are you going to send it when we’re miles out from the village? And no, we aren’t going back just so you can play pen pals.”

“No need. I’ll have my familiar take it off in the morning.”

Zero blinked, once, twice, shaking his head. “Wait – did you say familiar? You have a familiar?”

“Yes.”

“Do all vampires have that? Cause I feel like I missed the memo there.”

“No, only purebloods have them. And even then, it’s only those with strong bloodlines.” The Hio family came to mind but Kaname didn’t want to talk about them any more than the hunter did. Now that he thought about it, the Shirabuki clan probably had some form of familiars as well but he wouldn’t know, given he tried his best to stay away from _that_ madhouse and all who came with it.

“I see,” Zero leaned back on his hands. “What does your familiar even look like? I’ve never seen it.”

“A wolf. Though he takes quite a bit of energy to summon, so I don’t do it very often.”

The pureblood jerked back slightly, startled by a sudden chuckle from Zero. 

“Something funny?” A brow arched in confusion, not understanding the humor Zero apparently found in the situation.

“Just… a _wolf_ of all things? _Really?_ You? A _wolf?_ ” Zero shrugged. “It just doesn’t seem to fit for some reason. You’re too… elegant for a wolf. You’re all fancy and prim and proper. And wolves are just- I don’t know, it doesn’t seem like it fits is all.”

An amused smile spread across the pureblood’s face. “I see, in that case, which animal would you say _does_ fit me?”

Zero tilted his head. “I don’t know, a leopard, maybe? Actually, yeah. A big, black panther. Leopards are elegant and they’ve got _class._ You’re definitely more of a leopard.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind when I am given the option to _choose_ which form my familiar takes.” Kaname chuckled. No vampire got to chose what form their familiar took. In fact, in some rare cases, the animal even changed throughout one’s lifetime. 

The hunter opened his mouth to respond to that, a sharp retort lingering on his tongue. When his stomach chose to interrupt the moment by letting out a loud grumble. He blinked down at it, just now realizing how starved he was after waking from his nap.

Kaname stood and set the letter aside to dry as an amused smile crossed his lips. “Hungry?”

“Starved, actually. Do we have any meat left?”

“I’m afraid we’re all out. But, I can go and hunt something if you wish.”

Usually, Zero would probably have said no. Partly since Kaname was unfamiliar with what kind of animals lurked in these parts and well, it was maybe a teensy, tiny, _little_ bit nice to have someone to talk to. That wasn’t to say he liked the pureblood’s company or anything. He just didn’t like being alone.

But beneath his pants, his thighs were still wet with blood and slick. His clit ached for some kind of friction against it and at this point, Zero was desperate for _some_ type of relief from his damn near-constant arousal. That wasn’t exactly possible with the pureblood sitting right across from him, now was it?

“Yeah, that would be good,” Zero replied finally. The man was a pureblood, surely he’d be able to handle anything he came across that posed a danger to him. He’d be _fine._ Probably.

“Then I shall go find us a meal.”

The pureblood turned and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

And then Zero was finally, blessedly alone. 

Nothing and no one around to disturb him. Zephyr was outside of the cave, sleeping peacefully. There was no one here but Zero and the warm fire, which crackled soothingly beside him and bathed everything in a warm glow. He sighed and laid back, for a few long seconds doing nothing but looking out at the dark forest before him, waiting to see if perhaps Kaname would return. When several minutes passed and there was no sign of the other vampire, Zero figured he was safe for a little while and there was no need to fear the man somehow walking in on him. 

The hunter hurriedly disrobed, shedding his jacket and shirt before stepping out of his pants. He kicked the clothing aside and wriggled his briefs down his legs.

“Oh fuck,” Zero tossed his head back, a low groan leaving him as he cautiously ran a finger down his slit. It came away coated in shiny slick and blood. Shamelessly, Zero stuck his tongue out to taste the mixture. _Coppery and slightly sweet – not as bad as I thought it would be._ The hunter gasped as he cautiously teased at his wet cunt once more with a spit-slick finger, his other hand drawing slow circles around his nipples, growing closer and closer to where he wanted their touch each time but just so teasingly skirting around it.

Kaname’s image rose once more to his mind as Zero’s fingers began to explore his body. He rubbed at his aching clit with a thumb, drawing light figure-eights around the hard nub and occasionally brushing up against it. Arousal coursed through his veins, filling him with heat and a dire need for _someone, anyone_ , to touch him as his heart beat faster with each breath he took. His eyes fluttered closed as he worked one finger into his soaking cunt. Wincing at the immediate tightness he felt, Zero stopped and forced himself to take deep breaths while his body slowly adjusted to the intrusion.

His mind was already conjuring pictures of the pureblood, memories of that night when Zero had forced Kaname to give up his shirt after dumping the hunter’s clothes into the water of the river. Images of firm arms and the strong lines of the man’s back drifted into his mind. God, that school uniform really _did_ hide a lot. Except for the pants, which admittedly made the pureblood’s ass look rather fetching – not that Zero know, even if he _may_ have stolen a handful of glances here and there.

“Fuck – ahhh shit-“ 

Gods, Kaname had a voice that could melt butter. So low and smooth, it sent shivers down Zero’s spine. He wondered what it would sound like, breathing into his ear as the man fucked into him hard and fast. Was the man loud in bed? Or was he more of a quiet type, preferring action instead?

Zero worked another finger into his cunt, while the other teased and pulled at his nipples. He whined loudly and without abandon as he brushed against that spot inside him that had him seeing stars. His hips moved, unconsciously thrusting up into his touch as pleasure took over his senses. He arched up off of the floor sharply with a cry as he worked his fingers in and out of himself faster, and his thumb relentlessly teased at his clit.

_Kaname above him, sweaty and hot as he fucked Zero rough, just like the hunter preferred. Gods, he bet the pureblood was big. He wouldn’t be able to walk straight for days._ That sent a delicious shudder down his spine that had him writhing on his fingers. 

“Oh god- fuck me, Kaname. Yes, yes- _oh!”_ The pureblood’s fingers would dig into his hips, leaving bruising marks in their wake. Equally enticing was the thought of him above _Kaname,_ ringing desperate sounds from the pureblood’s throat as the hunter stretched him open with his fingers and tongue.

_A pretty red flush staining Kaname’s face, hands fisted in the sheet beneath him, cock painfully hard as Zero teased him relentlessly. But not once did Zero let him come. Only after he was turned into a sobbing, babbling mess would Zero finally allow him to cum as he fucked the older man raw. And afterward, Zero would kneel over the man spread out on the bed and make the brunette eat him out._

Maybe Zero would even fuck the man with his hands around his throat – provided Kaname wanted it, of course. Although that was precisely the sort of thing he could see Kaname being in to, truth be told.

Zero’s neck strained as he arched off of the ground, tingles of electric pleasure dancing through him. His lungs burned, struggling for breath as his skin flushed red. The hunter’s legs shook with how _good_ it felt. Loud, squelching noises filled the cave, but he couldn’t bring himself to care, not with how close he was to release. 

“Ahh- oh god, _fuck!”_ Zero could feel his release approaching, just a little bit more and-

“Zero?”

_Shit. Shit. Shit. Mother-fucking-shit._

Kaname’s voice hit Zero like a bucket of ice-cold water. He froze on the spot before finally regaining his senses. A grimace marred the hunter’s face as he removed his fingers from himself with a wet noise and sat up to face the pureblood as he deposited two dead jackalopes onto the cave floor. 

“I er- didn’t think you’d be back this soon,” Zero managed, finally mustering up the courage to look at the pureblood’s face even though his own was probably beet-red. Kaname’s eyes were darker than usual, a look of pure hunger on his face as he scented the air, thick with the fragrance of Zero’s arousal as well as the boy’s sweet blood.

“By all means, don’t stop on my account,” He purred, stepping forward in measured steps. Zero didn’t make any move to leave, which the pureblood took as a good sign.

He was in front of Zero in an instant, drawing a gasp from the hunter at the sudden movement. The pureblood grinned, showing off lengthened fangs as he crouched beside the defenseless hunter.

“I could help you with your little _problem_ if you’d like.”

Against everything in him, Zero shook his head and edged back away from the pureblood, looking anywhere but at the man in front of him.

“Look, I don’t- I don’t do relationships, okay? Feelings aren’t my thing. You know that. So let’s just-”

Kaname hooked a finger under Zero’s chin, forcing him to meet the pureblood’s gaze and see the hunger burning in his eyes. 

Kaname was well aware of how his desire for the hunter had changed him. It awakened something raw and visceral and _primal_ within him, and it wasn’t entirely pretty if he was honest. Nothing in this ruined, rotten world was.

“Who said anything about feelings? Feelings needn’t be involved. All the better, in fact.” The pureblood told Zero, leaning in closer to the boy. Feelings made things messy, and Kaname didn’t like messy. He did however, like Zero. Very much so. “Don’t pretend you don’t want me, Zero. I can see it in your eyes. You want me just as much as I want you. What’s the harm in having a bit of fun together?”

Zero shivered at the touch of the older vampire’s warm breath on his neck. This close traces of sweat and earth roll off of the pureblood beneath the ever-present scent of _roses_ that clung to him. It made Zero dizzy and thinking seem like a much more monumental task than it actually was.

This was probably a bad idea. No, it _was_ a bad idea for sure, one-hundred percent. Nothing good could come of this. And Zero knew that these types of things – these ‘no strings attached’ scenarios always, _always_ ended with someone developing the very feelings they’d sought to avoid. He knew how this story went. _Second verse, same as the first. Every damn time._

But he couldn’t find it in him to say no with the pureblood right there, pressed hot and heavy up against his body.

“You promise that you won’t bring feelings into this?”

“With all that I have.”

“Then… fine, I guess.” Zero answered somewhat awkwardly and stilted. _We’re both adults, for fuck’s sake, what’s wrong with having sex?_

Still, he held a hand up over his lips when Kaname moved to kiss him then. “And no kissing on the lips.”

The pureblood smiled patiently and nodded affirmatively. “No kissing on the lips.” 

With that, he bent down to press his lips against Zero’s neck, licking the sweat from his skin.

The hunter shivered under the sensation of Kaname’s lips moving across his neck before tipping his head back with a sharp gasp as the pureblood sucked a bruise into pale skin. A low groan escaped Zero’s throat, and he tilted his head obligingly to the side as the older man’s tongue followed dark lines of his tattoo.

“That all you got?” Zero teased and was rewarded by Kaname gripping his leg and hiking it up around his waist. 

“Wait!” The hunter shouted before he realized the words were even on his tongue. He pushed Kaname away from him with both hands, gaze drifting to the ground instead of looking at the pureblood.

“Something wrong?” Kaname asked, eyeing the hunter with concern at his outburst. “If I offended you somehow, feel free to tell m-“

“It wasn’t you. It’s not- fuck, it wasn’t you, okay? Just maybe not that right now. I don’t want _that_ kind of sex.” God, why was he so damn awkward at speaking? Zero cursed himself under his breath.

Kaname only nodded, not at all perturbed or put off by the hunter’s request. “That’s fine. Sex doesn’t require penetration, you know. I can still help you if you want.”

“I- uh- yeah. Yeah, I still want that. _This.”_ Fuck. Why did he not know how to word properly?

The pureblood chuckled at Zero’s fumbling speech and took his hand, tugging him towards the sleeping rolls laid out by the fire.

Kaname pushed Zero to lie down on the ground much too gently for the hunter’s liking, treating him like something fragile, something breakable. And Zero hated it. 

The pureblood pulled back to shrug his dark cloak off before bending down to press kisses along Zero’s chest. The hunter squirmed beneath him. 

“Come _on._ Do something, don’t just tease me-“

“Patience,” Kaname chided, nipping sharply at the skin of Zero’s collarbone before moving further down and giving a few teasing licks to a dark nipple on Zero’s chest. 

Zero choked on a gasp, arching up against him. A shaky moan escaped his throat as the pureblood closed his mouth over the small bud and gently tugged with his teeth. 

“ _Fuck-_ “ 

The hunter turned and whined beneath the pureblood, trying to escape the feel of tongue and teeth on his sensitive nipple. All the while, his pussy slowly grew wetter at the attention. Kaname smirked at the pert pink bud hardened from all his attention, before turning and doing the same to the other.

Zero was a sight to behold. His white hair was stark against his skin, flushed and bruised from Kaname’s attentions, eyes blown wide with lust. Kaname’s tongue darted out to wet his lips. God, the hunter, looked positively delicious enough to eat already and here he was just getting started.

“K-Kuran! Come _on,_ do something, anything, _please!”_ Zero groaned as the pureblood pressed kisses down his sternum, pausing to suck pretty bruises into the hunter’s pale skin. He took no small amount of delight in painting the canvas of Zero’s skin with his touches, his cock hardening in his trousers at the vision the boy made.

At the sound of his voice, Kaname glanced up from where he sat between the hunter’s thighs, lips curled at the corners “I think we’re on a first-name basis by now, wouldn’t you say?” 

Rich, heady blood invaded his nose when he nudged Zero’s legs apart, the thick coppery scent of blood overpowering everything.

“I – _oh, god!”_ Zero arched up as Kaname pressed a long kiss to his inner thigh. So close to where he wanted him but not nearly close enough. “If I call you Kaname, will you stop teasing and fucking do something?”

The pureblood’s own cock was damn near painfully hard in his trousers, pressing against the fabric. It was fucking killing him – being this close to Zero, just a few scant inches away and unable to touch, to _claim and taste_. But having the hunter begging him was far from an unpleasant sight, he had to admit.

“Please, _Kaname-_ “

With a wicked smirk at his victory, Kaname dived forward. He licked a bold stripe up the hunter’s soaked cunt and groaned aloud at the taste. _Sweet, yet salty and tinged with the hunter’s blood, so rich and tart, just as he knew it would be._ Tasting the hunter on his tongue sent Kaname’s head spinning as he yearned for more, _needing_ another taste.

“Ngh- oh god, more,” Zero groaned, thrusting up against the pureblood and burying his hands in thick, brown locks. 

Kaname spread the plump lips of the hunter’s cunt apart, tonguing circles around Zero’s reddened clitoris and tracing around his vaginal opening. Above him, the hunter shook and quivered, needy noises escaping his throat and going straight to the pureblood’s cock. He loved it, hearing the desperate gasps and moans that belonged to the hunter and delighted in knowing that _he_ was the one wringing each one from the boy – no one else. _Mine,_ Kaname growled as he lapped at Zero’s needy cunt. He could get drunk off of the taste of the hunter alone.

“Kaname- fuck! God more, please more- don’t stop, _ohhh-“_

Zero was babbling now, and he _knew_ it. Hell, half of what he was saying probably didn’t make sense anymore. He didn’t care. All of it was just _Kaname, Kaname, Kaname_ and the pleasure coursing through his veins as the pureblood fucked him with his tongue.

Kaname pulled away for a moment, replacing his tongue with long slender fingers, thrusting roughly into the hunter. A red sheen glistened on the lower half of his face as he struggled to catch his breath just as much as the hunter beneath him. 

“You taste _divine,_ Zero,” He murmured, biting sharply at the boy’s hip. 

_What have you done to me?_ Kaname had never enjoyed sex with anyone to this extent. Never been quite this desperate to taste and _take._ It was frightening.

Hearing Kaname say his name like _that_ – voice all rough and low – it _did_ things to Zero, making his pussy throb and his clit ache. 

“Fuck, more, please. Give me more-“

“You want more?” Kaname purred, licking at his cunt, eagerly slurping at the mixture of slick and blood that escapes around his fingers. “Want to come, sweet thing? I’ll bet you’re just _aching_ for release.”

Zero mewled, toes curling and his fingers tightening in Kaname’s hair. They were a mess, both of them covered in sweat and other bodily fluids. Neither one cared. 

“Yes! _Please-_ “

“Then _come,”_ And Kaname began to lick mercilessly at the hunter’s clit as he pumped his fingers faster in and out of Zero’s tight, warm cunt.

He was rewarded with a loud cry a few seconds later, Zero stiffening and arching sharply up off of the stone as his release overtook him. His grip in Kaname’s hair tightened enough that it threatened to rip strands right from the pureblood’s scalp. Zero’s pussy clenched sharply as his release coated the pureblood’s fingers.

Afterward, Zero collapsed against the cold stone, panting, and boneless. He watched with half-lidded eyes as Kaname removed his fingers from the hunter, hissing slightly at how oversensitive he was in the wake of his orgasm. 

The pureblood met his gaze, unrelenting as he brought a hand up to his mouth and laved at the glistening fluids with his tongue, making sure to clean every last drop from his fingers and never once looking away from the hunter.

“Fuck,” Zero breathed, resting a sweaty arm on his forehead. He risked a glance at the pureblood – his face still coated in Zero’s fluids and hair a complete mess from where Zero had tangled his hands in it. His eyes drifted to the bulge in Kaname’s trousers and dragged him down alongside him with a tug on the pureblood’s shirt.

Kaname raised a brow. “Zero, what-“

“Hush,” The hunter chided, rolling on his side to press kisses along the pureblood’s jaw while his hand teased at the waistband of Kaname’s pants. He found his hand gently tugged away before he could get any farther than that, though.

“Zero, you don’t have to force yourself.”

“Who said I was forcing myself?” Zero shot right back, looking up at the pureblood. He softened a bit when he saw the genuine concern written on the brunette’s face and refrained from rolling his eyes in exasperation. “ _Relax_ , Kaname. I want this. I wouldn’t be offering if I didn’t.”

The pureblood loosened up considerably at the hunter’s words and removed his hand from Zero’s wrist in unspoken permission.

Zero smiled indulgently and reached into the pureblood’s pants then, taking hold of his hard, leaking cock. The pureblood shudders and groaned lowly under his breath at the touch.

The younger man stroked Kaname quickly and firmly, teasing the sensitive head with his thumb and tasting himself on the pureblood’s skin as he kissed along Kaname’s jawline and neck, leaving his own marks on Kaname. 

It didn’t take long before the pureblood was coming, white strands of his release coating the hunter’s hand.

Unlike Kaname, though, Zero only tasted a bit of the pureblood’s release before wiping the rest off on a nearby cloth and collapsing beside the older man.

It wasn’t long before the hunter quickly fell asleep yet again, uncaring of the fact that his thighs were still coated in his release and drying blood. He was out like a light, violet eyes fell closed, and his breathing turned soft and slow.

Kaname, however, laid awake instead. He turned his head to watch the hunter, taking in dark lashes fluttering against Zero’s cheeks and wet strands of silver sticking to the boy’s forehead. The pureblood’s lips curled when he looked at the boy’s peaceful expression, and his heart stuttered to a brief halt in his chest. At that moment, Kaname realized with a sinking in his gut that he was quickly growing far more attached to the young hunter than he’d planned. Or perhaps he already had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm going to be honest here; not really sure what the whole lore is surrounding that whole familiar thing, and to my knowledge, there really isn't a whole lot of explanation on it in canon anyway, so I'm using my own headcanons for that aspect of this story.


	16. Chapter 16: Quid pro quo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For different reasons, Kaname and Zero struggle to regain their footing with each other after their night together. But when Zero tries to do what he does best and push Kaname away once more, the pureblood isn’t having any of it. However, as both vampires are about to find out, there are far more critical things to be worried about right now than their own petty squabbles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for all the love you guys show this story! I seriously don't have the words to express how grateful I am that you're all enjoying this story so far and that you continue to take the time and read it. It really does brighten my day to see how much y'all are liking the story so far and encourages me to continue writing. So... thank you. Seriously, thank you! ❤

As he usually did, Zero woke before Kaname the following morning. He crept out of the cave in silent steps to find a body of water to wash off the grime and dried blood from his skin and clothes. He washed quickly, not wanting the pureblood to come looking for him again this time.

When he returned, Kaname was still not yet awake, so Zero busied himself with lighting a fire and laying his clothes beside it to dry. Without any real thought, the hunter began humming a low tune under his breath as he did so. A song he thought long-forgotten rose to the front of his mind, alongside a memory of a warm fireplace and the soothing sound of his Mother’s voice instead of his own.

_Birds asleep amidst the trees_

_Branches a-swaying in the breeze_

_Yet few souls lie anxious, wide-awake_

_Fearing no manner of ghouls, hags or wraiths_

_For your dolly, Polly, sleep has flown._

_Don’t dare let her tremble alone._

_For the hunter, brave and bold,_

_Paid in coin of gold_

_He comes, he’ll go_

_Leave naught behind_

_But heartache and woe_

_Oh, deep, deep woe._

Back when he was far too young to understand the lyrics, the song had been a favorite of his Mother’s to sing to him and Ichiru. Usually, when they couldn’t fall asleep. It was strange that he still remembered it, even after all these years. But then, time was a funny thing that way, he supposed.

The sound of fabric rustling behind him alerted Zero to the stirring of his companion, and he quickly went silent. He murmured a low greeting to Kaname, refusing to face him as he tended the fire absently. What was he meant to say in this situation? Zero sure as hell didn’t know. Usually, when he had a one-night stand, he never stuck around this long afterward. He was so far out of his element here that it wasn’t even funny anymore.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” Kaname ventured with caution, breaking the silence for him. “Last night, I mean. Between-“

The hunter stiffened and clenched his jaw. He shoved a piece of the cold, leftover meat from the day before in Kaname’s direction, hoping to shut him up for now. 

“No,” Zero said. With a snap of bone, he broke off a piece for himself and took a bite of the meat. He didn’t give Kaname the chance to argue.

Though Zero missed it, the pureblood gave a considering frown at that and picked up the meat with a grimace. He didn’t understand why Zero absolutely detested the idea of being in a committed relationship. Why was the boy so against the possibility of developing feelings for someone? To Kaname, none of it made sense in the slightest. But then, how could he understand when Zero never allowed him to in the first place? Every chance he made to understand the hunter, he was shut out, time and time again.

The two vampires ate quickly that morning, Kaname sneaking glances at the rigid hunter as he did so. Zero determinedly kept his gaze away from the pureblood, speaking only when necessary and even then, only in clipped, often one-word answers.

Before long, they set off once more to track down their rogue werewolf. This time Kaname chose to walk with Zero, giving Zephyr a break from carrying him _and_ their bags. He also noticed with no small amount of tightening in his chest that Zero still wouldn’t look at him. The hunter wouldn’t even spare a glance in his direction. At most, he might utter a word towards Kaname or tell him which direction to go in now, but that was the extent of their communication. It was as though Zero preferred to act as if Kaname simply weren’t there.

Kaname finally had enough after several hours of being ignored and stopped in his tracks, fed up with the boy and this childish game of his. He reached out and gripped Zero’s wrist. 

“Stop that.”

“Stop what?” Zero asked, rounding on the pureblood with a scowl.

“Ignoring me. You’re acting like nothing even happened last night.”

“Because nothing _did_ happen. Which—if you recall—I _told_ you, before all of this. Remember?” Zero pressed his lips together and realized perhaps he was being a bit harsh towards the pureblood. He softened his tone slightly before speaking again. “Look: we fucked, and that’s it. I already told you I don’t _do_ relationships, Kaname. If you went into this expecting something other than casual sex, then that’s on _you_ not me.”

Zero turned away with a set jaw. He shut his eyes, trying to block out images of what had happened between them the night before. It was good sex, he had to admit. But it was just that - sex. Nothing more, nothing less. 

Because Zero - Zero dragged people down. Nothing good could come of a relationship with him. He’d gotten his parents killed and his brother killed by daring to care about them. Zero was poison, he _knew_ that, okay? In the end, it had gotten Tomas killed too, being close to him. He couldn’t let that happen again. Not to someone else.

Not to mention that he couldn’t betray Tomas like that. He’d loved Tomas. No, he still loved Tomas, and now that the other man was gone, it just seemed wrong to love someone else. Zero had _years_ with Tomas. What he had with the other hunter was something unique and special to both of them and he- he couldn’t just betray that. Not for one night of good sex. 

_But it wasn’t just one night of good sex, was it?_ Zero shook his head at the tiny voice in the back of his mind. The voice that whispered it was more than that, that something had been stewing between him and Kaname for a while, and he’d been too blind to notice it. Or just not willing to see it.

_I can’t do that to Tomas. He died because of me. He’s gone because of me. I can’t betray him by loving someone else._

Kaname’s nostrils flared when the hunter turned his back on him. Heat coursed through his body at being dismissed so easily by the younger man, wondering how Zero could casually brush off what had happened between them. His stomach coiled into a hardened knot.

“Why do you always do this?” Kaname demanded. “You always push away everyone who cares about you? _Why?_ You pushed away Cross, and you pushed away Yuuki and now you’re trying to do the same to me. Why are you so against letting people in?”

Zero spun on his heel with a fierce glare aimed at the pureblood. His cheeks were ruddy with fury seeping through him. But he couldn’t deny it. Not when everything Kaname said was true, and somehow that was the worst part about it. 

“Fuck you, Kaname. You don’t know the first thing about me. Just because we slept together one damn time doesn’t mean you have the right to psychoanalyze me.”

The pureblood’s eyes narrowed in turn. “Do you know what I think? I think it’s because you’re afraid. You’re terrified of the idea of getting close to someone and letting them in.”

The hunter stopped in his tracks. His breath left his lungs in a sudden burst of air. All of his muscles went numb. Despite that, he shook his head weakly. 

“You’re wrong.”

“What are you so afraid of? Wait, let me guess, your first love rejected you. Is that it?”

“Damn, you _really_ haven’t heard of quitting while you’re ahead-“

“Did he break your heart, Zero? Leave you for someone else? Tell me, which is it?” 

Kaname didn’t need to be a pureblood to be able to tell that tension was rising between them. Zero’s true feelings remained shuttered off behind his cold mask, but he could see the hunter’s fingers tightening into fists at his side. He could smell the blood drawn from where the hunter’s nails dug into the flesh of his palms.

Perhaps that should have told him to stop. If nothing else, that should have warned him that he was treading on very dangerous territory. That and the tightness in Zero’s form, the stiffening on his shoulders, may well have been a flashing neon sign. _DANGER! DANGER! DO NOT APPROACH!_ But Kaname was never one to heed warnings before.

“Let me guess… his name was Tomas, wasn’t it?”

Zero went taught as a piano wire right then. Every single bit of sense leaving him as _that_ name left Kaname’s mouth. His blood boiled in his veins.

He stomped towards the pureblood in slow steps and pushed him in the chest, sending Kaname sprawling to the ground. After which, he promptly bent down and firmly punched the pureblood in the jaw. Once. Twice. A third time for good measure. 

“ _Don’t you dare fucking say his name!”_

Zephyr gave a nervous whinny and shifted away from the fighting pair of vampires, anxious to get away from the danger. Zero didn’t care. He didn’t even notice, too consumed by his utter rage. How fucking _dare he?_ How dare he mention Tomas’ name and how fucking dare he assume anything about their relationship?

A trickle of blood leaked from Kaname’s nose, and pain blossomed from his aching, dislocated jaw. Still, he managed to look up at Zero and felt wet droplets hit his face.

“You want to know what happened that badly, you jealous bastard?” Zero’s voice betrayed him, cracking as he spoke through gritted teeth, spitting the words in Kaname’s face like they were weapons. “Fine, here’s your goddamn answer! Yes, Kaname, I loved someone, okay? I loved him more than anything in this world. He was- he was everything to me. The reason I got up in the morning and the reason I forced myself to keep going even when I didn’t want to was for _him._ ”

Zero tipped his head back, staring dully up at the cloud-covered sky. A wet sob of laughter escaped him. “And you know what? He’s fucking _dead!_ I sat there and watched him die, knowing that every second of it was _my_ fault!”

The world around Kaname stuttered to a screeching halt at Zero’s words. Suddenly, the tears made much more sense. He couldn’t meet Zero’s gaze, and there was a sudden tightness in his chest like someone was squeezing the very air from his lungs. _What have I done?_

“You happy now? That satisfy your bruised ego?” The hunter stepped back from the pureblood with a sneer upon his face. His legs shook underneath him as he stood, threatening to give out. Zero wiped at his eyes with his sleeve in an attempt to dry his eyes. “There. No use in being jealous over a fucking ghost, right?”

Kaname pushed himself up off of the ground, ignoring the pain in his jaw. It would heal in a few minutes, anyway. For now, he had bigger things to be concerned about. 

“Zero, wait-“

The hunter ignored him again, only raising his hand behind him and offering Kaname a rude (but appropriate) gesture as he walked over to Zephyr. He leaned in, whispering softly to the scared gelding and stroking him gently, trying to calm the poor beast down. Zero’s stomach hardened briefly in guilt. He hadn’t meant to scare Zephyr with his anger towards Kaname. He _was_ sorry about that much, at least.

The pureblood gave a heavy sigh as he lingered where he stood. Somehow, Kaname figured it best not to approach Zero just yet.

“I didn’t kn-“

Zero held up a hand as he stiffened, pulling away from Zephyr as his brows drew together. The hunter’s head tilted, ever-so-slightly as he turned to look off into the woods, narrowed eyes searching for something between the trees. The hunter’s shoulders were lifted with tension as he strained his ears. _Quiet but heavy footsteps, low grunting in between pained pants for breath._

Glancing back at Kaname, the hunter lifted a finger to his lips and motioned for the pureblood to follow him before taking off into the woods.

Kaname wasted no time before swiftly chasing after the wayward hunter. He effortlessly dodged around trees and shrubbery, whereas Zero merely stomped through the foliage in his heavy boots, uncaring of how loud he was being. The hunter’s attention was far too focused on whatever it was they were chasing to be concerned with anything else. An angry hiss left the pureblood’s mouth as he finally realized what it was they were following, the unmistakable stench of _mongrel_ filling his nose _._

Zero came to a sudden stop at the edge of a clearing, Kaname nearly barreling straight into him in the process. There in the middle of the clearing was his prize. 

The werewolf was big, easily twice the size of Kaname even, with his large limbs covered in dark fur and dangerously sharp claws. From his great muzzle came soft, pained grunts as a paw clutched at a knife stuck in his side, blood oozing from the wound.

The hunter glanced sidelong at the pureblood and made a circular motion with his hands, jerking his head to the side. _Flank him._ Because like hell was he taking any chances on this thing getting away, not when they were this close to putting an end to this monster.

Kaname raised a brow in question and received a roll of the hunter’s eyes in response. He finally nodded in surrender and disappeared into the trees without so much as a whisper. 

As soon as the pureblood was gone, Zero lifted his gun, carefully lining up the shot. It didn’t matter where he hit, particularly, since as long as the bullet found its mark, the silver in it would do the job regardless of where his shot landed. He inhaled, holding his breath and counting to three in his head.

He fired.

And _missed_. 

The wolf lurched forward at the last second, sending the hunter’s silver bullet whizzing past him uselessly. The sharp noise did, however, fully alert the beast to the hunter’s presence. The wolf’s ears pricked forward as it stood to its full height, tension rippling through powerful limbs. An enraged howl left its muzzle right before it turned and fixated on Zero with golden eyes.

A huff of air escaped Zero’s mouth. 

“Shit.” 

In the next second, the hunter danced out of range as a pair of deadly claws swiped in his direction, the beast lumbering after him on all fours now, knife still embedded in its skin. The werewolf lifted its muzzle into a snarl, showing off sharp canines with a growl. It paced around the clearing, eyeing up its opponent.

Zero cricked his neck, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He spread his arms out wide in a challenge.

“Come get me, boy.”

It was hard to say whether the beast could still understand Zero or not. Either way, he chose to take the words for the challenge they were, it seemed. With a ferocious roar, it took a flying leap towards the hunter, its shadow falling over Zero for a brief second and blocking his vision.

Zero rolled out from underneath the werewolf at the last second before he touched the ground. He whipped around and fired another shot before it was given a chance to recover. This time he managed to graze the beast’s shoulder, filling the air with the smell of burning flesh and fur as his bullet found its mark.

To his dismay, the wound didn’t even seem to faze the beast. It shook its massive shoulders as though Zero had merely inconvenienced him and with a roar, it took off into the thicket of the trees.

The werewolf wove between the dark trees, its golden eyes never once leaving Zero. Although, the hunter had to admit that it was growing damn near impossible to keep track of with his eyes alone. It was just a dark blur, moving from place to place in a way that shouldn’t be possible at all based on its sheer size alone. _Damn, how is this thing so fast?_

Zero’s ears prickled as he heard the faint sound of claws scraping against wood. That was the only warning he got before a massive wolf was bearing down on him, as the beast leaped from the top of a tree. His violet eyes widened as he saw dozens of sharp, white teeth glinting at him from the inside of the beast’s gaping maw. The hunter’s jaw tightened, and he yanked a knife from his boot. Just before the creature collided with him, he thrust his arm up, stabbing the knife into the roof of the werewolf’s muzzle with as much force as he could muster. He then yanked the weapon out, just as he barely stumbled out of the beast’s path.

With a loud thud, the beast fell to the ground and let out a growl of pain and frustration. Zero didn’t dare take his eyes off of it as he cautiously edged closer to the tree line. This wasn’t going well so far. He only had three silver bullets left for starters, and that was _all_ the silver he had, save for perhaps the chain on his hip that he doubted that flimsy bit of metal would do him any good against this thing.

And where the _fuck_ was Kaname? _Damn it, should have known better than to trust a damn bloodsucker._ But Kaname’s betrayal cut deeper than that, and he knew it.

The hunter shook his head. No time to think about that now. Right now, he had to focus on not getting killed. Yeah, not getting killed was probably a priority.

The werewolf spun on its heels with fury spitting in its eyes and blood dripping from its mouth. With a blur of movement too fast for Zero to catch, it charged at him once more.

“Fucking, shit!” 

Zero dived out of the way but not before his foot connected with the massive beast and tripped him. He kissed the earth harsh enough that his teeth clacked together, tumbling heels over head onto the forest floor.

Another roar was heard from the wolf as it set its sights on the downed hunter. Zero’s head was spinning, pain flaring through his skull as he struggled to regain his breath and straighten his vision. He looked up into the massive, looming jaws of a werewolf above him and cursed his luck.

The hunter made a split-second decision and reached for the knife in the creature’s side. He yanked it free with a harsh pull before raising his arm and plunging the blade right into one of the wolf’s golden eyes.

Zero winced at the guttural keen that the beast let out, swiping blindly with its claws. This was it. This was going to be how he died. He squeezed his eyes shut and prayed for a quick death. There wasn’t much more he could do at this point.

Yet before the finishing blow fell, the hunter found himself lifted up and moved away from the beast quicker than he had time to process it all. He was unceremoniously set on the ground, a firm arm around his waist steadying him. He didn’t need to look to know who it was.

Brief relief flickered through Zero as he stood without any problem. At least he hadn’t twisted an ankle which was good. He rounded on Kaname with fire in his eyes.

“Where the _hell_ were you?!” Zero demanded.

“You seemed like you had it well in hand. But you need to listen to me, Zero. There’s another wo-“

“Shit!” The hunter interrupted with a curse upon seeing the injured werewolf take off into the woods. Whatever Kaname had to say could wait. They couldn’t risk losing that werewolf. Not again. 

An arm blocked the hunter’s way as he tried to go after the beast. He glared sharply at Kaname.

“Let me,” Was all the vampire said before taking off after the werewolf. 

Or rather, trying to.

Zero caught a glimpse of the black, lumbering creature before the pureblood did. It was barreling through the trees, heading straight for the pureblood. His heart jumped into his throat as he saw it, and he lurched forward, reaching a hand out towards the other man without even thinking of it. 

“Kaname!”

His warning came too late.

The other werewolf barreled into Kaname from the side, colliding with the pureblood and sending them both crashing to the earth. A vicious snarl left the wolf, and _oh_ —if Zero thought the injured wolf was big, it had _nothing_ on this towering behemoth. This one was covered in a smattering of dark gray and black fur unlike the chocolate brown of the other wolf.

Kaname looked up at the wolf above him with challenging, crimson eyes. He bared his fangs with a hiss, the pureblood part of him demanding that he face this creature’s challenge. _Try me._ No matter how foolish of an idea it was, given that the beast dwarfed him in comparison and his powers weren’t at their peak due to how little he’d been feeding lately. 

The pureblood threw the werewolf off of him and stood like it was nothing. But the wolf wasn’t done, it seemed. It quickly bounced back onto all fours and darted forward to sink its teeth into his side, sharp canines ripping through skin and tearing the muscle beneath.

The hunter’s blood turned to ice in his veins. _No._ He watched, helpless to do anything, as the werewolf tore into his friend’s flesh like it was fucking paper. For a few agonizing seconds, shock froze him in place before he recovered and leveled his gun at the beast. Zero ignored the niggling voice in the back of his head that asked him why he even cared this much about a pureblood of all things. Did it matter? No, what mattered right now was that it was his _friend_ that the beast was currently ripping apart. And Zero was going to make sure hell was paid in return. 

_I couldn’t protect Ichiru. I couldn’t protect my parents. I couldn’t protect Tomas. But I’ll be damned if I let one more person die because of me._ Zero pulled the trigger.

A pained whine left the beast as Zero’s bullet went through one of its front legs. But it worked. The creature released Kaname from its grip with a snarl of irritation. There was a bloody hole in Kaname’s side, showing missing flesh and skin and leaking like a damned sieve, as he dropped to the ground like a stone in a river.

The breath was knocked from Zero’s lungs. Time slowed to a crawl around him and his heart froze in his chest. _No, no, no, no. You cannot fucking die. Not you too. Please-_

The hunter didn’t think—there wasn’t any time to do so. He darted over to the pureblood’s side, ignoring the werewolf still watching him with keen eyes. Distantly some part of his mind registered the wetness that was dripping down his cheeks as he pressed a hand over Kaname’s wound, trying to stop the bleeding. As warm blood squelched beneath his hand, he reached to cup the brunette’s face with his free hand, slapping the man’s face lightly. 

“Kaname? Hey- hey, come on, now, don’t you dare fucking die on me. Come on, Kuran, just hang on, okay? I need you to wake up. You can do that, come on, just open your eyes.” 

There was no response from the man beneath him, and Zero’s lower lip wobbled as he tapped Kaname’s cheek lightly, hoping for something, _anything._ _God fucking damn it._ Panic crawled up Zero’s spine like a worm, his hands beginning to shake the longer Kaname refused to open his eyes.

“I swear, Kuran, if you don’t wake the fuck up in the next ten seconds, I will kill you myself.” In the past, threatening the pureblood had never failed to get a response. Kaname just couldn’t resist needling the hunter back, Zero knew that.

So why wasn’t he saying anything?

“Kaname-“ Zero choked on his words, throat tightening too much to speak anymore. _Why do I even care?_ Kaname wasn’t his responsibility, and he knew the risks when he accepted this mission. The smart thing would be to leave him there and for Zero to run while he still had the chance. But he… couldn’t. His body refused to move. _He saved me when he didn’t have to, remember?_ That was a pretty good point, honestly. Kaname could just as easily have left Zero for dead, but he didn’t. Zero owed him a debt.

_Bullshit,_ another part of him argued. _I don’t owe him shit, he saved me of his own choice. I had no role in that._ Which was… also a valid argument as well. Zero pressed his lips together tightly and looked down at the face of the man he’d come to call ‘friend’ over these past few weeks. _Can I really leave him here to die? Just like that?_ He already knew the answer to that. Him and his fucking bleeding heart. But they’d come this far together, he and Kaname damn it, and they _would_ go home together as well, even if Zero had to walk through Hell itself to see to it.

The werewolf whimpered in pain, bringing Zero’s focus towards it once more. Zero’s heart hammered loudly against his ribs as he looked at the beast. There was something different about this one. A gleam of intelligence in its golden eyes that hadn’t been present in its brethren.

“You stay the _fuck_ back from him, you bastard.” He hissed, leaning over the pureblood’s body, protective. He had no way of knowing if the thing understood him or not, but Zero didn’t care. That _thing_ had done this to Kaname. That gave him more than enough incentive to gut the damn beast. He didn’t care to examine his reasoning behind that too closely. “I mean it. One more fucking step and the next one goes in your skull.” 

His fury at what this _thing_ had done to Kaname was making him reckless, but at that moment, he didn’t give a damn. Werewolf or not, Zero wouldn’t hesitate if it decided to go for the pureblood again. At that moment, he would have fought the very devil himself if he threatened to so much as touch a hair on Kaname’s head. He’d bested worse odds before.

The beast studied him for a few seconds, as though it were considering his words. Zero raised his gun and leveled it at the creature in warning. Violet eyes narrowed into a frosty glare. The beast cocked its head, hesitating before ultimately deciding it not worth the risk and lumbering off after the other werewolf, disappearing back into the woods.

Zero’s hands shook as he lowered his gun after several long seconds, finally deciding the wolf wasn’t coming back and returned his attention to the vampire beneath him. He released a breath, shoulders slumping as he allowed himself to relax for a moment. One of his hands came up to idly stroke at chocolate strands, the dark hair falling through his fingers like silken threads. His lips quirked up ever-so-slightly at the corners as he did so and he shook his head sorrowfully. 

“I swear, the shit I go through for you-”

Blood rushed through his ears, and rich, potent pureblood filled the air with its intoxicating scent. It took everything Zero had to push through the haze of red threatening to take over him and focus on making sure Kaname was alright.

_Why do I care? Why do I care so much about this asshole?_ Zero didn’t want to answer either of those questions. _It’s only because he did the same for me once. Quid pro quo. That’s all this is._

Slowly he put a hand to Kaname’s neck, pressing gently on the skin. His breath stuttered to a halt in his chest as he felt not a single flutter of movement beneath his fingertips. Kaname wasn’t breathing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zero: *insists he doesn't care about Kaname*
> 
> Also Zero, the second someone threatens to hurt Kaname: "I won't hesitate, bitch!"
> 
> 🤔


	17. Chapter 17: And really all I've got, is just to stay pissed off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pain. That is all.

Shit, this was bad. This was worse than bad. Kaname was just lying there on the ground, like some sort of lifeless doll all crumpled into a heap, dropped by some careless child, and it made Zero’s stomach churn something fierce. That werewolf had taken the proud pureblood down like it was nothing, barely even breaking a sweat. And now?

Now Zero was alone. Out here in the middle of fuck-all-nowhere, with two silver bullets left that he couldn’t afford to waste in case those fucking werewolves came back. Oh and did he mention his lack of medical training? Because that was very much an issue here too. He was a hunter, not a medic. He didn’t fix injuries; he _caused_ them.

“No,” Zero firmly stated with a defiant shake of his head. “No, no, you are not fucking _dying,_ okay? I did not bring you this far just for you to fucking _die,_ you self-centered asshole!”

Zero’s throat grew tight as a vise as he glanced down at the wound on Kaname’s side, still bleeding quite a lot. He grimaced and tried to recall any medical training—anything at all would be a massive help, at this point. No matter what he did, that wound refused to close. The pureblood’s blood simply would not clot. _Or can’t,_ some part of Zero offered. He shook his head, negating that thought to the back of his mind for the moment. _Right, focus on one issue at a time,_ that was what Cross had always said. Find the biggest problem and start there. 

Zero sucked in a breath, steadying himself and wringing a bloodied hand through his hair. Well, the first task at hand was to get the pureblood breathing again. With any luck, his healing powers would kick in and help to close the wound. 

“You are _not_ fucking dying,” Zero grit out, folding his hands together on Kaname’s chest and pressing down quickly and firmly, over and over again. He didn’t know if this would even do any good. For all he knew, this was just wasting valuable time instead of actually doing anything. But he had to try. Because at this point, Zero was out of ideas and like _hell_ was all the shit he went through on this journey going to be for _nothing._

“Come. _On_.”

He leaned down and pressed two breaths of air into Kaname’s mouth before pulling back and resuming chest compressions, teeth grinding together in his mouth. His hands shook as he moved, and it took everything in the hunter to remain calm enough to even correctly perform the procedure while his heart was in his throat. Each time he pulled back though, a little bit more of his hope dwindled when there was still no sign of life from the pureblood beneath him. 

It was getting hard for Zero to even breathe, with the adrenaline coursing through his veins. Each breath he took, he couldn’t seem to draw in enough air. It felt like someone was smothering him.

“Come on,” The hunter ground out between chest compressions. “You aren’t seriously quitting on me now, are you? I mean, I expected a hell of a lot more from you, Kaname. One tiny scratch from a werewolf and you’re down for the count? Pretty pathetic if you ask me.”

“Okay fine, I’ll make you a deal: If you wake up now, I’ll take back all the horrible things I said to you, alright? Even if you were an ass because you don’t know how to talk to people and no offense, but you _really_ suck at interpreting social cues. I mean, for someone who boasts about being so intelligent, I’m starting to think you don’t know anything about interacting with people. But if you wake up, I promise we’ll be even-stevens. But I do kind of need you to fulfill your end of the bargain.”

“Seriously, Kaname. This isn’t funny anymore. I know you aren’t that weak, so drop the act already. You’re stronger than some measly fucking mongrel. Just wake _up.”_

And then, with a heavy heart, the hunter paused in his chest compressions. He pressed two fingers to the man’s neck again, checking once more for a pulse. This time he couldn’t even bring himself to hope, knowing that his fingers would meet nothing but cold fle-

Zero’s eyes went wide as something jumped beneath his touch. It wasn’t much. Barely more than a flicker, a faint thrumming of blood beneath the surface. It was so slow, scarcely even present at all but there was undeniably a pulse.

An idea forming in his mind, Zero lifted a pair of fingers to his mouth, tasting copper as he wrapped his lips over them and blew. A shrill whistle left his lips, the noise carrying sharply through the trees and sending birds flying in a tither. At this point, he didn’t even care if those werewolves heard him and came racing back, though it was highly unlikely either of them stuck around. But he had to work if this plan was going to succeed, and more importantly, he had to work quickly. 

A few moments later, Zephyr burst through the trees and trotted over to the hunter’s side, Zero giving him a thankful pat on his flank as he leaped to his feet, fingers pulling bags from the gelding’s saddle and placing them on the ground. Damn, it had been so long since he had to do this spell, he hoped he still remembered how to do this correctly. Kaname hadn’t been wrong when he said first-aid wasn’t the hunter’s forte after all. Hell, Zero couldn’t even remember the last time he had to patch up his own wounds.

_It’ll work. It has to,_ as long as the hunter kept telling himself that maybe he would start to believe it.

Zero removed a wooden bowl from the bag along with a small glass jar of blue powder and his last remaining bottle of water. _Please work, please work._

He ignored how his hands trembled while doing so, and at the last second, he withdrew a small, shining athame from the bag as well.

Hunters weren’t witches. That much everyone knew. They couldn’t conjure up items from thin air or shift their shape or anything of that like. However, all hunters did possess a small amount of magic that ran in their veins, no matter how thin a sliver it may be. 

A hunter’s magic was enough most times to conjure runes and place wards, but very rarely could a hunter ever do more than that. And those who tried didn’t often have a happy ending.

Zero just hoped his magic would be enough for what he was about to attempt.

A small puff of dust kicked up in Zero’s face as he emptied a bit of the blue powder into the bowl. With no means of measuring anything, he was forced to eyeball the appropriate amount and hope for the best. He squeezed his eyes shut and forced his breathing to slow, concentrating on nothing else but the bowl in front of him. Zero whispered into the surrounding air, words taking shape on his tongue without him even needing to think. The ancient and powerful words came to him as easily as breathing. He poured out a small amount of water into the bowl, wetting the powder. At last, he picked up the athame and draws a firm line across his palm, skin stinging as metal kissed his flesh. He turned his hand over and squeezed several droplets of his blood into the bowl. 

Not exactly conventional, using blood that was. Nor was it particularly safe either—by giving up a part of oneself to the ritual, it bound the ritual and its consequences to the one conducting it. Doing something as foolish as that often led to allowing someone or something into your body or taking in so much magic that it rendered one a brain-dead husk of a person or even other, far more horrible outcomes. Using a part of oneself in a ritual was, quite frankly, a blatantly stupid and idiotic move and Zero was sure Dahlia wouldn’t let him hear the end of this if she were there. But, if it would help the pureblood heal faster, then Zero was willing to try anything.

“ _Ariuthzr,”_ Zero finishes, mixing all of it together with his bare fingers into a thick, dark goop. His lips curl slightly in satisfaction as his fingers glow for a second upon uttering the words, and there’s a flutter of victory in his chest. Well, it would appear that time hadn’t dulled what little magic he had after all.

The mixture was now a dark blue and violet, liquid-like in texture, reminiscent of paint. Zero carefully cut away at the fabric of Kaname’s shirt and cloak with a knife, peeling back the scraps to display pink muscle that glistened with red. Near the edges, his skin lay in frayed pieces from where the werewolf and ripped its jaws free. Zero grimaced and dipped his fingers into the bowl, coating them in the navy liquid before lifting them to the pureblood’s skin, where he slowly and methodically them across the wound, dragging them this way and that, turning and stopping here and there. Remembering the right runes to paint, however, proved to be harder than mixing his ingredients, as it took Zero several long seconds before he recalled what symbols to paint on the skin and where. 

He worked quickly and carefully as he painted, the picture of the runes in his mind becoming clearer with every stroke, every brush against skin. He almost stopped part-way through, doubting that this silly little spell would do even an ounce of good. But what else was there to do? He shook off those thoughts. There was no plan B right now. Unless he could get Kaname’s healing powers to work again, the pureblood was a goner. Zero continued painting, dipping his fingers into the mixture of his blood and the powder and applying it to the vampire’s skin, something uncomfortable gnawing at him beneath the surface of his skin and quickening his heart.

“ _Cae lei fyth na_ _saeth um eirlin!”_ Zero hissed as he finished, placing his hand over the wound and feeling a burst of heat beneath his hand as his magic flared to life. He held his breath, waiting for something to happen, a burst of light or _something_ at least, anything. Yet nothing did. The wound remained open and festering like before, leaking crimson liquid in tiny drops.

Zero’s heart fell to his feet.

And then, gradually, the bleeding began to slow. It wasn’t much and it sure as hell wasn’t anything like the pureblood’s miraculous healing powers, which would have had the flesh knitting back together before his very eyes right now. But it was _something_ and right now that was everything.

Still, Kaname didn’t wake. His eyes remained stubbornly closed, a sickly pallor to his skin that didn’t bode well. Zero knew if he was going to save his friend, he had to get him somewhere safer than the woods, and preferably, that meant a place with a warm fire and a roof over their heads.

Zero reached for the bag once more and unrolled their last remaining bandages, needing something to cover the wound before he could take Kaname anywhere. He cursed himself for not thinking to bring more supplies. Not that it did much good, as he couldn’t exactly go back and change that now.

“I swear, the lengths I go to for your sorry ass,” Zero muttered with a shake of his head, reaching down to unclasp the cloak from Kaname’s shoulders. It took a few hard yanks to get the fabric out from under the unconscious pureblood. _Jesus fuck, are you seriously all muscle?_ It certainly felt like it, if nothing else.

However, Kaname’s shirt proved to be less salvageable. Zero tried to get it off of him several times, but upon looking at the rips and blood staining it, he ultimately decided that it wasn’t worth it. He unhooked a small utility knife from his belt and cut the fabric to shreds with a silent apology. After a moment’s hesitation, he stuffed the pieces into his bag, reminding himself to burn it later. Probably best not to leave clothes smelling distinctly of _pureblood_ just lying around anywhere.

The hunter calmly wrapped the bandages around the pureblood’s wound with a frown, tugging the cloth snug against pale flesh. He noted with a frown between his brows that there was a cold sweat breaking out on Kaname’s forehead.

Zero shoulders were growing sore from where he’d been unintentionally tightening his muscles. God, it was terrible to be this powerless and helpless. He didn’t know what to _do._ He had no idea what had happened to Kaname or how to fix it and no way to even communicate with any other hunters. Zero was entirely on his own here, left in the open ocean to either sink or swim.

But would another hunter even be of any help? Werewolves stuck to their own, and both they and the hunters were happier for it. It was highly unlikely anyone else would know what to do in case of a bite from one of the lycanthropes.

_Fuck._

He eyed the vampire on the ground as Zephyr butted at his shoulder, as though impatient with how slow Zero was going.

The hunter sighed. _You saved my ass when you didn’t have to. I’m going to return the favor._ Zero didn’t know if the promise was to Kaname or himself anymore.

“I am not going to let you die,” Zero grumbled as he gingerly lifted the pureblood into a sitting position and fastened his cloak loosely around the brunette’s shoulders once more. He knew _some_ things about taking care of wounds at least, and right now, his top priority had to be getting Kaname to a shelter and cleaning the wound. From there, he’d figure things out as he went. _One step at a time._

After double-checking that the bandage was secure, Zero hoisted the pureblood up onto his back, bracing his hands beneath the man’s thighs and managed to get him onto Zephyr after a bit of struggling.

A stone-cold chill rolled down Zero’s spine at how limp and lifeless the pureblood looked by now. It was hard to believe that this was the same man who took on _multiple_ purebloods in a fight at one point and even held his own against Cross of all people. Now looking like death itself after a battle with _one_ werewolf.

Zero couldn’t help but wonder what Cross had gotten them into.

“Come on, boy.” 

He snapped Zephyr’s reins once he made sure Kaname was secured, digging his feet into the gelding’s side, urging him into a quick gallop. Internally, Zero questioned whether or not it was worth it to push for Ivorgarde. It would be risky with Kaname already so pale and chilled—there was no guarantee he would even make it that far in his state, nor Zephyr either. But he didn’t much treasure the idea of taking shelter in Halivaara either, given how little he knew about the place which only lent credence to his dislike. And there laid the decision for him to make, push forward to Ivorgarde where people at least trusted him more than an everyday stranger or play things safe by stopping in Halivaara?

_“_ Oh, hell.” 

The hunter risked a glance back at his companion and grimaced. There was simply no way he could see Kaname surviving the few extra hours to Ivorgarde, and Zero wouldn’t risk losing him. Plus he could only imagine the fuss the council would kick up if their beloved leader died while with a _hunter_ of all people. His head ached just thinking about it.

Zephyr’s hooves kicked up clouds of dirt beneath him as he carried Zero and the unconscious pureblood through the winding woods. Every minute seemed to stretch on for an eternity.

The hunter breathed a quiet sigh of relief when at last, the dark buildings of Halivaara took shape on the horizon. He allowed his white-knuckled grip on Zephyr’s reins to loosen as they rode into the small village, dirty hounds scurrying out their way and children watching with wide-eyed amazement at the sight of the stranger. Zero’s gaze flickered around before landing on a building near the edge of the village, a sign above the door boasting the name of the establishment. _White Stag Inn._

A small building made from stonework that was shoddy and uneven at best; the place was tiny—so much so, in fact, that the hunter nearly overlooked it as a house at first. There were _maybe_ four windows with crooked wooden shutters and a thin trail of smoke bellowed out from a chimney above it all. Zero pursed his lips and led Zephyr over.

The place was empty when Zero entered. A wasteland of its own accord, save for the bored, haggard woman behind a counter and soft noises from the fire in the hearth. The woman was old, with strands of gray peeking out from the bun behind her head and lines around her eyes that deepened when she saw Zero.

“What d’ya want?” She asked gruffly upon seeing Zero stagger in with an unconscious Kaname on his back. There was a deep frown marring her face. Her shrewd, dark gaze flickers between Zero and Kaname as she no doubt came to her own conclusions.

“My friend was hurt in a hunting accident,” Zero explained in a breathless gasp as he struggled to support the brunette. “He’s hurt. I need a room to care for his injuries.”

“I run an Inn, not a hospital, boy.”

“ _Please-“_

“Besides, I ain’t seen you around before. How’s I to know you ain’t lying? Your friend looks mighty sick there, boy. Could have some kind of plague for all I know.”

Zero took a deep breath with considerable effort. _In… and out._ His teeth ground together in his mouth, and it was taking a lot from him not to reach down for his gun and just make this old bat give him a damn room already. He knew how he looked; his clothes covered in dirt and grime, streaks of blood on his face. He was probably the last thing this woman wanted to see on any given day of the week, but he was all out of _fucking_ patience. Zero slammed a palm down on the counter and leaned forward. 

“He isn’t _sick._ He’s injured. For god’s sake, if he were sick, do you not think _I_ would be sick as well?” 

“That still don’t explain why I should let you have a room. You twos outriders, why should I concern myself if with either of you? Outriders don’t bring nothing but trouble.” She spat with hatred in her voice.

The hunter stiffened and raised his shoulders. This woman was stubborn, he’d give her that. Another day he might have even respected that if Kaname’s life wasn’t in danger every damn second, he spent arguing with the hag. For a moment, Zero was tempted to tell her everything, who he was and just _why_ Kaname’s life was so important. Let her see how stubborn she still is when a crowd of angry, vengeance-seeking vampires descend on her village.

Zero bit the inside of his cheek. He wouldn’t let Kaname die. He made a damn promise, and he intended to keep it.

“Listen. I have been through hell and back in the past few days that you can’t even begin to comprehend. I have been bruised and beaten and cut and driven to exhaustion so badly I nearly fainted dead on my feet. Do you even know what that’s like? I’ll bet you don’t. And you know what? That-“ A wheezing laugh broke free from the hunter’s throat. 

“That’s not even the worst _part!_ No, that would be when I had to do all of that while my fucking insides are trying to kill me with these shitting cramps. Hell, I’ve broken bones I didn’t even know _existed_ and not more than twelve hours ago almost had a feral wolf rip my damn throat out. And I did it all for you ungrateful, rude little pests when you don’t even fucking know the danger that you all were in and you know what?” Zero laughed again, a broken, ragged sound. Maybe he really was starting to lose what little sanity he possessed. But could anyone really blame him at this point? “I haven’t asked for a single damn thing from you people. So I don’t think it’s too much to ask for a bit of fucking kindness and a goddamn room.”

Zero fisted a hand into his pockets, digging out his purse filled with coins and placed it on the counter in a harsh movement.

And _that_ certainly seemed to spark the woman’s interest at last. Her scowl lessened, and her arms unfolded, though her gaze remained narrowed to slits. 

“How much?”

“50 pieces for a room.” 

It was more than double what the sign outside said, but it was well over half of what he brought with him.

“You’re mad if you think I’ll go that low for a couple of outsiders.”

“Fine. 75 if you include meals and hot water.”

She tilted her head as though considering it.

“100 pieces, and that’s my final offer. Take it or leave it.”

Zero clenched his jaw sharply. That was all of their money. Every last piece of it. _I made a promise,_ he reminded himself. 

“Including meals and hot water?” Looking as though it pained her to do so, the woman nodded eventually. Zero shoved the pouch across the counter before he could stop and think about it too hard. “Deal.”

Zero’s hands shook as he gripped Kaname and hauled him up the wooden staircase towards their room. With no help, of course, because why would anyone want to help a couple of outsiders? Bunch of ungrateful pricks, if you asked Zero. _Maybe I should just let that damn werewolf eat all of you._ He wanted to, _oh_ he wanted to. But his oath as a hunter prevented him from acting out his fantasies of petty revenge, unfortunately.

The room was a cozy little place with one window on a far wall through which the golden light of sunset filtered through. Zero quickly reached out and closed the shutters, bathing the room in darkness save for the small lights on the walls. He had to give credit, it seemed that this was one of the more modern buildings. Most places didn’t have actual lights that weren’t just torches or running water these days, save for those that had survived whatever world had existed before this one.

It was a nice change. But Zero didn’t have time to focus on that. He quickly routed out the small restroom, covered in white tile and smelling strongly of chemicals. There was a small porcelain tub in the center of it though and he immediately set about filling it with hot water.

“Shit,” Zero muttered, trying not to retch as he examined the pureblood. Kaname’s skin was like ice to the touch, cold and clammy in a way that _no one’s_ skin should ever be. It looked more gray now and vaguely inhuman, an awful, foul odor permeating from the wound on his side, and a bleeding scratch on his forehead was still sluggishly leaking red fluid.

Something was horribly wrong, but Zero wracked his brain, trying to find out what. It didn’t make sense. With his runes, Kaname’s healing abilities _should_ have kicked in by now, enough to at least stop the bleeding. Evidently, that wasn’t the case, which was even more cause for concern.

Zero’s heart pounded even harder against his ribs if such a thing was possible, the loud, incessant _thump, thump, thumping_ echoing in his ears, and drowning out everything else. The possibility of losing the pureblood was beginning to look all-too-real for his liking, as though fate itself was determined to claim Kaname from the hunter’s hands.

“Fuck you.” 

Zero had never been religious. But he’d never been a coward either, and right now, he was willing to fight just about anyone—potential deities not exempt. 

“I made a _promise._ ” 

And damn it, he intended to keep it, regardless of fate or some other _bullshit_ trying hard not to let that happen. _Just fucking try to stop me._

Zero cut away the rest of Kaname’s stained and ripped clothing. The pureblood burned like fire beneath his touch, and Zero cursed. How was it possible for his temperature to fluctuate that quickly in such a short time? The man was ice-cold just a second ago. No time to question it, Zero turned the water to as cold as he could get and lifted Kaname into the tub.

There was still a pulse beneath his skin thankfully, no matter how faint and Zero clung to that tiny shred of hope. As long as that remained, there was a chance then. 

“Come on, you stubborn prick.”

The hunter didn’t know anymore why he bothered talking, given then it wasn’t as though Kaname could hear him in his present state. Maybe it was for his own comfort then. 

_I won’t lose you, Kaname._ And something in Zero’s chest twisted uncomfortably as his stomach churned and wound itself into a knot. No, he couldn’t lose the pureblood. He _wouldn’t_ damn it.

He made a promise. That’s all it was. Kaname didn’t give up on him, and he owed him the same. _It’s just quid pro quo._

Even as he told himself that, the knot that has become his stomach twisted and turned on itself, winding an ever-tighter tangle of nerves. 

“I can’t do this alone, Kaname. Okay? I can’t take on a fucking werewolf by myself. So you’d better wake the fuck up, got it?”

The pureblood didn’t respond, silent and unconscious as ever.

Zero picked up a rag with a sigh and began the slow process of cleaning the pureblood, dipping the cloth into chilled water and gently wiping it over grimy heated skin. If nothing else, Kaname always took pride in his hygiene habits. Zero figured he wouldn’t appreciate lying in his own blood and dirt for days while his wounds healed.

As he worked, the hunter tried not to let himself think too much about the reasoning behind his actions. As long as he didn’t let his mind drift back to the attack and how dangerously Kaname’s life hung in the balance right now, he was fine. Perfectly _fine._ He never let his gaze linger on the festering wound though, which was still an angry red. 

Zero even took some soap and lathered it in his hands before brushing it through Kaname’s hair, sinking his fingers into chocolate waves and massaging the skin of his scalp. He was careful to avoid the wound near the man’s hairline, though, even as he dumped buckets of icy water over Kaname’s head. There was still no response from the pureblood beneath him and Zero’s shoulders slumped ever-so-slightly more.

He pressed a hand to Kaname’s pallid temple as he finished, checking the man’s temperature and noticed that it seems to feel less blisteringly hot than before. _Progress,_ he told himself with a small swell in his chest. A brief flicker of a smile crossed his lips.

“You’d better not give up on me, you hear? I swear, if you go and die on me Kaname, I will personally find you in the afterlife and kick your ass,” Zero threatened as he lifted Kaname from the tub and gently dried his skin with a towel, hating the way his hands trembled throughout.

He couldn’t lose Kaname. He couldn’t face a werewolf on his own and return to Cross without Kaname beside him. What would Yuuki say? How would she react? She’d hate him. Hell, Zero wasn’t sure he’d be able to return at all if he lost the pureblood, wasn’t sure if he could bring himself to.

“If this is some kind of joke, Kaname, it’s getting really old. You can wake up now.” 

Silence greeted him and left Zero feeling humiliated for talking to someone who can’t even hear him. He shook his head at his own idiocy and focused on tending to Kaname’s wounds. Neither of which looked any better, still angry and irritated. Biting his tongue, Zero procured a needle and thread from his bag. If the pureblood’s healing powers weren’t kicking in, then the old fashioned way would have to suffice for now, before the scent of his blood attracted every vampire in a hundred-mile radius or contracted a nasty infection.

“This might hurt a bit, just to warn you. Not much I can do about that, but I’m sorry,” The knot in Zero’s stomach loosened slightly as he spoke to empty air. Useless though it may be, it brought a modicum of comfort to him. Like this, he could pretend that Kaname was perfectly okay and that he could respond to Zero’s quips with his own like he usually did.

Zero took out his flask of whiskey from his bag and poured a bit onto another cloth. Was it an ideal antiseptic? No, of course not. But if it worked, then who was he to complain? He pressed the material gingerly against Kaname’s head wound first, cleaning it with the alcohol and sighing when not even the burn of whiskey against his open wound gained a reaction. Not even a flinch.

Zero continued on with threading his needle before pressing it to the skin. The hunter grimaced as the needle pierced the flesh as doubt of his own abilities crept forward once again. He wasn’t a healer or a medic of any kind, he just wasn’t cut out for bandaging wounds and whatnot. What if he messed up? What if he made it worse? Zero did his best to push those thoughts aside and focus on stitching up Kaname.

It definitely wasn’t the finest job in the world. His stitches were oddly spaced and uneven all across. By all means, it looked like an amateur’s first attempt at sewing, but Zero didn’t care as long as it kept the wound closed until he could fix whatever comatose state the pureblood was in.

The other wound turned out much the same way, looking choppy and haphazard at best when Zero was finished with it. Zero mixed up more of his mixture from earlier and painted more runes on the pureblood’s skin, not knowing what else to do. He also applied a poultice as well for added precaution against infection. 

“Don’t you dare die on me. You aren’t _allowed_ to die on me, you pureblood bastard.” Zero huffed as he finished, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He was practically dead on his feet, and exhaustion weighed heavily on his shoulders right now. Yet, even wavering where he stood, Zero couldn’t avoid the sensation that he still hadn’t done _enough._ He couldn’t escape the feeling that he should be doing more for the pureblood, trying harder. The problem was that he wasn’t sure what else he could do.

Zero eyed his silver athame on the table, freshly cleaned and sparkling. He groaned and reached over before he knew what he was doing and took a seat on the bed beside the unconscious vampire.

“I swear, this better be worth it, Kuran. If you die on me after this-“ He didn’t know what he’d do, to be honest. Zero shook his head, a hard lump in his throat. “Just… don’t die, you hear me? If you were anyone else, I wouldn’t even bother with this shit, so be grateful.”

The hunter cleanly sliced the weapon across his palm, cutting deep into his flesh and drawing out crimson droplets of blood. Zero didn’t even flinch at the pain. He leaned over and pried open Kaname’s lips with his free hand before squeezing his palm, droplets of blood landing on the brunette’s tongue and lips. Zero tightened his grip, drawing more blood out from the wound to land in Kaname’s mouth. _Come on, do something, damn it!_

After a while, he began to grow dizzy, likely from losing so much blood to the runes and his menstruation already. His vision wavering, Zero drew his hand away and let the wound close, waiting with bated breath, hoping that maybe somehow his blood would awaken Kaname’s pureblood instincts and force him to open his eyes.

His waiting proved to be all for naught when after several long minutes, there was still no change from the pureblood. 

Zero yawned, and his eyelids flutter as he cleaned up all of his supplies, placing them back into each respective bag, body tight with tension and his eyes burning hot with unshed tears. _Damn it, I did everything I could. Why is none of it working? Why did nothing work? Why can I do anything right?_

_Why can I ever save anyone?_

Frustration boiled up inside of him, but he was far too tired to do anything with it at this point. Not even he could stave off sleep forever.

With defeat tasting bitter on his tongue, Zero shrugged off his clothing and crawled beneath the covers beside the pureblood. He studied Kaname’s calm, closed features for a few brief seconds, hesitant to take his eyes off of the other man for even a second. Some part of him feared that Kaname would simply die or disappear if he glanced away, even for a second. It’s a ridiculous and unfounded fear, he knew that. But even still, it was better not to risk it, right? 

The hunter reached out and tiredly drew a finger down a pale, clammy cheek. His voice shook with unspoken emotion. 

“You’d better not die, Kaname. I swear if you-“ He hesitated. “If you care for me at all, you’ll hang on, okay?” _For me._

Sleep claimed Zero not a moment later, the hunter falling asleep with his arm strewn across the pureblood’s chest and wetness clinging to his eyelashes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The woman Zero mentions in his chapter, Dahlia, is a reference to my other work from this fandom btw. Dahlia is an OC of mine who is a witch and a lesbian - no plans to include her in this story right now, but she may make an appearance in the sequel that I'm considering writing.


	18. Chapter 18: Friend or Foe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Kaname's condition worsens, Zero struggles with who to trust and ponders if a mysterious savior with seemingly all the answers is really who they claim to be.

Dead silence greeted Zero the next morning. The pureblood was just _lying_ there among the sheets beside the hunter, looking like a corpse with beads of sweat collected upon his skin.

The hunter sat up with a groan, flinching back in shock as Kaname began to spasm and convulse, his limbs jerking erratically and unpredictably. Zero sat there and watched with wide eyes, still half-asleep and struggling to process what was happening. He reached out and slowly turned Kaname onto his side as the man seized, in the hopes of at least making sure his airway was clear. But beyond that, there wasn’t much else he could do honestly. It ended in a few moments as the pureblood fell still once more as though it hadn’t ever happened.

“Fuck.” 

Zero pressed the back of a hand against the other man’s burning forehead, checking his temperature with a frown. He brushed away strands of brown hair from the same place he’d stitched closed the night before, eager to check on the wound once more. He sucked in a hiss of breath and cursed quietly once he saw it.

While the bleeding had stopped, there was certainly nothing to celebrate. There, at the edge of the wound, Kaname’s flesh was turning a deep and most unusual black. A deep, putrid odor wafted into Zero’s nose and made him pull back with a cough and a grimace. 

Well, that certainly erased any doubts of his that this was something natural.

He knew poison when he saw it, and _that?_ That fucking ticked all the boxes.

Unfortunately, that didn’t give him many more answers than he’d began with, and the clock was ticking down. _Damn it._ Zero couldn’t even fathom when the poisoning would have happened. It didn’t make sense. Wouldn’t the pureblood’s healing abilities have overpowered the substance before it could do any damage? Even if his healing abilities had been hindered by the substance used, his body would have metabolized it before any real damage occurred. Or at least that’s what _should_ have happened. What the hell? Zero was well and truly stumped for answers. He’d never heard of anyone poisoning a pureblood as long as he’d been a hunter. 

It was frightening to imagine anything existing that could reduce a pureblood to such a state, and Zero had never known of such a thing to exist. What the hell kind of poison _was this_? And more importantly, how was he going to fix it? 

Zero paced the length of his small room and ran a hand through his hair as he tried to think. _What do I do?_ Fuck, it wasn’t like there was a manual on how to take care of one’s poisoned pureblood or anything precisely detailing what steps to take in this scenario. He was flying blind here and running out of ideas.

Without knowing what it was, Zero had no hope of finding an antidote of any kind. No, his best chance right now was probably to get Kaname’s healing abilities to work again and hope that the pureblood’s body would be able to neutralize the poison on its own. It wasn’t much of a plan if he was being honest. But without a healer of any kind, it was also his only plan.

Someone knocked on the door then, and Zero managed to gather himself enough to open it, hoping he didn’t look nearly as frazzled as he was.

A young woman his own age stared back at him with a smattering of freckles across her sun-tanned face. 

“Hi there, pardon the intrusion, but I heard from Old Liya that your companion was injured. So I thought I’d bring you some things,”

She shoved a pile of fresh towels and bandages towards Zero. The hunter stared at her for a few seconds, gaze flickering to the bundle in her arms before raising a brow.

“You’re helping an outsider?”

She shrugged. “I don’t buy into the same suspicion as most folks here do. Besides, what’s the harm in a bit of kindness?” She leaned forward on the balls of her toes. “Where is your friend? I’m no doctor, of course, but I know a thing or two about-“

“It’s fine,” Zero quickly interrupted, moving his form to discreetly block the woman’s view and taking the supplies from her. “I mean- I’ll see to him. It’s fine. I don’t want to drag you into our problems. Outsiders and all that.”

The woman frowned and looked like she wanted to protest further. “Well, alright, if you insist. Don’t be a stranger, yeah? Let me know if you need anything, just ask for Sasha!”

Zero would be doing nothing of the sort, but it was nice to see someone who didn’t meet him with harsh glares and biting words. As he closed the door behind the girl, he considered that maybe he’d been a bit too hard on her; she’d only been trying to help after all. 

_Ah well, no use crying over spilled milk, I suppose._

The hunter didn’t do much that day, unwilling to leave Kaname on his own for longer than he had to. He wiped clean Kaname’s wounds once more and applied more antiseptic before fixing them with fresh bandages. A frown graced Zero’s face as he looked down at his own shoddy workmanship, wishing there was something more he could do.

“I swear, you’d better not die on me after all this.” 

There was hardly any bite left to his words at this point.

Zero managed to drag himself away from the pureblood’s side long enough to venture outside and see to Zephyr as well at one point. He let the horse nuzzle into his touch and whicker lowly, toeing lightly at the ground, disappointed that it was Zero and not Kaname.

“I know, boy.” Zero murmured, petting gently along his muzzle. “I miss him too.” 

It had taken him a while to admit it, but he actually missed having someone to talk to and argue with.

Zero returned to Kaname’s side and found nothing had changed—he didn’t know whether that was a relief or even more cause for concern. 

He took up a cloth soaked in cold water and wiped away the sweat from the pureblood’s brow. Throughout the rest of the day, Kaname continued to worsen, no matter how much Zero tried to prevent it. He was plagued by the occasional seizure, and his wounds continued to blacken around the skin, despite Zero’s best attempts at refreshing his runes and even feeding Kaname more of his blood. Nothing he did ever helped, no matter how much he wished otherwise.

He kept a constant vigilance over the older vampire’s side, too wary of something happening to leave him. Even meals were forgotten about in favor of looking after the pureblood, and with each passing hour, any remaining hope slowly dwindled away to nothing. As though he were just waiting for death at this point.

The hunter hadn’t even realized he’d fallen asleep until he was woken later by a strange smell tickling his senses. His nose wrinkled in his sleep at a pungent, citrus scent. _Rather pleasant, actually…_

Zero snapped awake and jerked to attention, his senses recognizing that someone else was in the room with him. Someone who most certainly did _not_ belong there.

The hunter glanced over the room briefly before landing on a figure standing over Kaname. He squinted, trying to make out the details with what little lighting he had. It was a woman, he noticed, with a curtain of salt and pepper hair that spilled over broad shoulders the shade of burnt sienna. Zero didn’t recognize her, but he _did,_ however, know the distinct scent of werewolf that clung to her. 

Zero leaped to his feet in one swift movement, swiping the knife from his boot and the gun from his hip. He lunged at the woman, shoving her back against the wall, pressing a knife to her throat and Bloody Rose digging into her stomach. There was a bandage wrapped tightly around her right arm, and Zero would bet anything there was a bullet wound beneath it.

Golden eyes met his, enshrouded in red paint that dripped down her cheeks, lined with age. The woman raised her hands slowly, gaze unwavering. 

She didn’t look like any of the villagers, but then, Zero hadn’t really expected her to. For one, the royal blue of her tunic was too out of place among these poor folks and her trousers were odd, considering he’d seen women only wearing skirts and dresses around this area. Most noticeable though was the lack of shoes and the golden bands wrapped around her wrists. 

“I told you to stay the fuck away from him,” Zero hissed, pressing the gun harder into the woman’s stomach. Her breath hitched as she swallowed uneasily.

“Easy now-“ The edge of the knife’s blade kissed her throat as she spoke, not quite deep enough to cut but enough to remind her of the threat. “Peace, young hunter. I bring you no harm.”

“No harm? Now that’s funny because, as I remember, that’s not what happened the last time we met.” A wave of anger surged through the hunter, his jaw tight enough to snap. “My friend is dying because of what _you_ did to him. So you’d better give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you where you stand, right here and now.”

“I never meant to harm you nor your mate.”

Zero narrowed his eyes, not missing her choice of words but electing to ignore it, at least for the time being. Bigger issues at hand and all that.

“You expect me to believe that? You ripped into him with your teeth like he was a piece of meat, and you want me to believe that you didn’t mean to _hurt him_? What, did you trip or something? That kind of thing doesn’t exactly happen accidentally.” Zero pressed the knife closer, contemplating how easy it would be to slice into her throat. Just a quick movement of his wrist. It wouldn’t take but a second. “Why the hell should I believe anything you say?”

His grip on the knife tightened. _So. Damn. Easy. Just-_

“Because I’m the only chance you have if you want him to live.” 

The woman blurted the words out in a hurry, making Zero stiffen. His grip on the knife loosened. 

“And how do I know you aren’t lying?”

“I suppose that you do not. But ask yourself this; do you really have a choice? Already your companion is growing weaker with each passing minute, and if he does not get the help he requires soon, he will die. Are you willing to risk that?”

She jutted out her chin, her gaze flickering between the man on the bed and the hunter before her.

Zero ground his teeth together, unwilling to admit that she was right. He was out of options at this point. Surely something was better than nothing… right? With great reluctance, Zero holstered his gun and lowered his knife, stepping back with folded arms. He didn’t trust this woman, not yet, but he was willing to listen if she could help Kaname.

“Start talking. _Now.”_

_Before I change my mind._

The woman relaxed considerably, lowering her arms and rolling her stiff shoulders as the hunter released her. 

“Well firstly, you should know that among my people, it is tradition to give one’s name before speaking in most cases. It takes a great degree of trust, offering up something as valuable as one’s name. My people call me Asami, you may do the same, hunter. Worry not, I hardly expect the same from you at this time. I realize you do not trust me, and I do not blame you for that. But I trust that someday you might trust me with your name, in turn.”

The man’s lips pinched into a scowl. 

“Yeah, we’ll see about that. Now just tell me what the hell you did to my friend already.”

She sighed at that. 

“Your mate-“

“And stop with that fucking _mate_ shit, already. He’s not my mate, okay? He’s a friend. _Just_ a friend.” _Not that it’s any business of yours, anyway._ Still, it annoyed Zero to no end, the way she kept referring to Kaname as his mate. He couldn’t put his finger on why it annoyed him so much, it just _did._

For the first time since she’d set foot in their room, the woman, Asami, looked shocked at that. 

“Truly? In that case, I apologize. Your _friend,_ he is a pureblood, yes?”

Zero nodded.

“Ah, I thought so. I did not realize what he was when I first saw him. You must understand, it has been some time since I last saw one of his kind, not since I was a child, some centuries ago, have I seen a pureblooded vampire. I have since become unaccustomed to their kind, as well as the sensations and scents that accompany them. Still, I take the blame for not recognizing sooner. If I had, then I would not have acted in the way that I did.”

“I don’t follow, why does it matter whether or not he’s a pureblood?”

“It seems they teach you, hunters even less about my kind than I thought. Lycanthropes produce a toxic substance within our saliva, a substance that becomes lethal to purebloods when it enters their bloodstream. It is in part why so few purebloods remain alive today, as many were wiped out centuries ago by my kind.” Asami’s face fell into a solemn frown as she spoke, genuinely saddened by the words she spoke. This world had seen so much bloodshed. _Too much._ “I truly did not know your mate was a pureblood, as I said, it was never my intention to harm either of you. But I am sorry that I did. Please, give me a chance to rectify my actions, young hunter.”

“I’m still not sure I trust you. But you’re right, I’m all out of options. If what you’re saying is true, how do we-“ Zero swallowed past the growing lump in his throat and looked at the dying pureblood, drawing his focus back. “Is there- is there any way to save him?”

“I would not be here if there was not. Yes, there is a way. But it is far from a simple process, I will warn you.

“What do you mean?”

“Your mate would have to come back with me to my pack, where we have the resources to properly care for him.”

Tension rippled through Zero’s form as he narrowed his eyes. He didn’t like the sound of that one bit, and like _hell,_ was he going to let Kaname travel with the woman who had tried to kill him. Not to mention that werewolves hated vampires and now he was expected to trust them to care for a weakened pureblood? Zero wasn’t stupid enough to give them an opportunity like that. No. Just _no._

“Why can’t you just bring this cure here? You can see for yourself he’s in no condition to travel.” Zero waved a hand at the man on the bed.

Asami rubbed at her forehead. 

“There isn’t enough time to make two trips. He’s growing weaker with every passing minute, and if the antitoxin is not administered in time, he’ll die.”

“I-“ 

Zero found himself at a standstill. What did he do? He didn’t trust this woman yet and for all, he knew she could be planning to kill both of them or walk them into an ambush. And yet. He looked towards Kaname, pale and on death’s door. Fuck, the pureblood didn’t have much time, and he knew it. 

“I need to think.” 

His stomach gave a painful gurgle. And perhaps grab something to eat before he passed out as well. Damn it. He didn’t want to leave Kaname alone with Asami, but there wasn’t any other option.

Zero stood and walked over to the door, hesitating at the last second to face the woman with a glare that spat daggers. 

“I swear, if you so much as touch him, I will hunt you down to the ends of this earth. There will be no fucking place where I won’t find you. Got it?”

She smiled in a way that said she knew something that Zero didn’t and inclined her head towards him. 

“I would expect nothing less, young hunter.”


	19. Chapter 19: Old enemies, new friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zero is forced to make a choice and takes a bold leap of faith.

Zero really should have expected that things were only going to get worse. After all, hasn’t that been the only thing that’s happened since this trip began? One would think he’d have learned by now that no matter when you think you’ve hit rock bottom, there’s _always_ further room to fall. Always. 

Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but groan as he laid eyes on the cranky innkeeper as he descended the stairs. And here he’d been hoping that maybe she was out today. She looked particularly grouchy today too, like she was just itching for a fight. Zero took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, waiting for the inevitable-

“You there, boy.”

Confrontation. And what do you know? _There_ it was, right on schedule. The hunter bit his tongue and turned around with a slow blink. 

“What?”

“Cause of you I ain’t getting no customers. Folks are scared to come here to drink cause of you _outriders._ ” 

“Yes, I’m sure it has nothing to do with your _lovely_ hospitality.” 

Under any other circumstances, Zero might have been able to stop himself before the words slipped out. As it was, his temper was running unusually short and he couldn’t give a damn anymore about anyone or anything.

The old woman—Liya, as Sasha had called her, turned red as a tomato in the face at that and slammed her palm down harshly on the counter.

“Get out, boy. You and your friend.”

Zero balked at that, face sharpening into a glower.

“What?” He couldn’t have heard that right. “You can’t- you can’t fucking do that. I paid you damn near _twice_ what you were asking for a room!” 

He could hear his voice raising and didn’t care. The sheer fucking audacity of this old hag had him seeing red. She wanted them to _leave?_ Hell, she’d seen him dragging Kaname inside, dead on his feet. She should fucking know better.

“You heard me, boy. Now out with ya, unless you want me to call the guards on you.”

Zero’s teeth ground together as he stomped towards the woman, entirely consumed by his fury. 

“Now listen here, you miserable -“

The clearing of someone’s throat had the hunter pausing long enough for Zero to lose his words as Asami stepped down from the staircase. She calmly and pointedly raised one gray eyebrow in his direction and gave a subtle shake of her head, one the hunter nearly missed altogether. 

“Well, it looks like I interrupted quite the commotion from what I see before me. Would one of you perhaps care to enlighten me as to what it is this disagreement is about? Preferably before your combined shouting efforts wake the rest of the town, yes? I might be able to be of some assistance.”

Yet Liya was apparently not swayed by the other woman’s persuasion efforts, looking at Asami with just as much distaste as she had Zero. 

“You outsiders are all the same. Like I told your boy here- you need to leave, you lot are scaring away all my customers and I won’t have it.”

“My companion is in no way fit to travel, you selfish bitch. Are you trying to get him _killed?”_ Zero snarled right back.

“One more word like that, and I’ll call the guards down on you, boy.”

There was a scoff from the hunter. _Please._ As though he couldn’t handle a few humans.

“That would be the last mistake you ever made _._ ”

“Now, now.”

Asami smoothly slid in between them and gave Zero a shrewd gaze that urged him to close his mouth before it got them into more trouble. “That won’t be necessary. This boy and his companion will be leaving with me.”

Her golden eyes burned a hole into Zero’s head as she stared at him, looking for confirmation. As if Zero had any choice in the matter. The alternative was to… what? Slaughter, the woman? Start a brawl with the guards? Both of those were far from good outcomes. Sure, Zero would love to start a fistfight right about now, but realistically he knew Cross would kill him and he’d likely never be trusted on another mission for a long time, if ever again. And ultimately it wouldn’t be worth it.

Zero paused, observing Asami’s neutral expression for any trace of an ulterior motive. _She’s had plenty of chances to kill me—if she wanted to kill either of us she would’ve done it by now,_ he reminded himself. Kaname didn’t have much time left either and honestly Zero didn’t know where else they could go. 

Not to mention that this woman clearly knew a few things about the wolf he was hunting. She could be a valuable asset in taking down the feral wolf if he played his cards right.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Zero confirmed with a curt nod, casting the irate Innkeeper one last withering glare before disappearing up the stairs to pack their things and see to the pureblood, whom he hoped had remained breathing in the time he’d been gone.

A short while later Zero found himself on the back of Zephyr once more, beside him Asami sitting proudly astride her own dark stallion, Fenrir. The pureblood’s warm weight was pressed snugly against Zero’s back, a length of rope around both of them assuring that Kaname remained on the horse’s back for the duration of the journey. 

Next to Fenrir, Zephyr dwarfed the stallion in comparison. Zephyr wasn’t a small horse by any means, but Fenrir was at least three hands taller than the young gelding, with a much more broad chest that looked capable of hauling a whole house if he so chose. Fenrir’s black mane matched its gleaming coat and dark saddle, both of which looked to be meticulously cared for in contrast to Zephyr’s worn tack and dirt-speckled coat. Still, the woman raised her brows upon laying eyes on the black blood, silently conveying her impression at seeing such a rare breed these days, which gave Zero a bit of pride at least.

Feeling the heat of Kaname’s form pressed against his back as they rode, was an odd sensation to the hunter. He wasn’t used to having the heavy weight of a pureblood constantly braced against him and after a while it was anything but comfortable. The younger man tried his best to put it out of his mind and focused instead on the noise of twigs snapping underfoot, brushing stray branches away from his face as they make their way through the unkempt woods surrounding the village.

“Zero,” The hunter blurted out eventually, growing tired of the silence between them. He received a slow blink from Asami in turn. “My name. It’s- it’s Zero.”

“I see, thank you. It is nice to finally have a name for you, young hunter,” And if he wasn’t mistaken, there was a light, almost teasing tone to Asami’s voice when she smiled at him then. “And your companion? What is his name? If you do not mind me asking, that is.”

“Kaname.”

The woman tilted her head then, as though digesting that information. For a moment Zero wondered if she recognized the name as belonging to the most notable of all pureblood houses, unsure of how she’d react to that. But then she simply gave him an oblivious smile once more and inclined her head towards him.

“It is nice to meet you then, Zero and Kaname.”

Zero… doesn’t quite know what to say to that. He can’t quite say it’s nice to meet her too. After all, she’s the reason they’re in this mess and the one who injured Kaname in the first place. What can he say to that?

“How far away does your pack live?” Zero questioned instead, glancing at Asami’s weathered face and the red paint adorning it out of the corner of his eye.

“Not terribly far.” Came her reply, as she craned her head to look up at the sky. “A few hours if this weather holds up.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

“Then we will have more pressing matters to worry about.”

Zero glanced up at the wide stretch of blue without nearly a cloud in sight. It was a good sign, but one that could change in an instant - he’d learned that one the hard way before.

“You seem to care very much for your companion,” Asami noted. “Have you two known each other for long?”

Zero bristled initially at having someone dig into his personal life, before reminding himself that Asami had nothing to gain from any of this information. No reason to use it against him. More than likely, she was just making conversation. 

“I’ve known Kaname since I was a kid. But uh, we weren’t always on the best of terms. We’ve only recently started to get along.”

“How did you two meet?”

“Well, I tried to stab him with a butter knife the first time I met him,” Zero said with a bitter chuckle at the memory. “Course that was right after my whole family had been killed by a vampire.”

“And the same time you were turned?” Asami assumed. “Forgive me, I could not help but notice the marking on your neck.”

The hunter’s throat closed up. A shudder ran down his spine at the ghostly sensation of sharp fangs in his neck and white-hot pain blooming through him, paralyzing him…

“Yes.” Zero clipped flatly.

As though sensing his displeasure, Asami frowned. 

“Forgive me, I suppose it must be hard to speak of such things. I apologize for asking.”

For a while they continue on in silence, Zero finally growing used to the warm, weight pressed against him and Asami lost in thoughts of her own, though that poker-face of hers failed to convey anything that might have been going on in her head. 

“Why _did_ you attack us in the forest?” Zero asked, breaking the silence. “You said you never meant to hurt us, but you never told me why you attacked us in the first place.”

Asami stiffened at that. Several seconds passed in silence. When Asami next spoke, her voice was tense. 

“That werewolf you are hunting, he is- was my son. He was taken from me as a babe. Snatched from me by two hunters who killed my mate. They thought the poor child abandoned and took it away to raise it as a human. What they did not know, was that all werewolves need to be part of a pack. You see, most werewolves grow up learning to shift. It is a part of us and thus, it is crucial that we learn to control it early in our lives, lest it control us. One has to learn to master the shift, to control it and this can only be done through time. A pack teaches you how to control the shift, how to master it. It is the only way to learn. But that boy-“

“Leo.”

If she disapproved of the human name the boy had been given, Asami didn’t show it. 

“Yes, _Leo_ , grew up without any of that. For years, all of us, my pack and I searched for the child. We spent days prowling far beyond our own lands, digging through dirt and shrubbery until our claws broke and our paws cracked and bled.” Asami’s gaze was wistful as she spoke, filled with longing for the son she was never allowed to know. “We never found him.”

Zero hated to admit the kernel of sympathy that bloomed in his chest for the woman. To have one’s own kid stolen like that, he couldn’t imagine how much pain she’d gone through. 

“So he grew up without learning how to shift. What happened to him then?”

Asami’s face pinched into an uncomfortable expression. She took a breath and shuddered, as her grip on the reins tightened. 

“Nothing good. Those who never learn how to master the shift will, in time, fall victim to their natural urges to shift whether they wish it or not. I suspect that is what happened to Leo. He succumbed to his urge to shift and lost himself to the shift, never taught to master it.”

“Shit.” 

Zero scowled at the ground. It was everything he dreaded; losing his mind to his bloodlust, the same way this kid had lost his to the shift. He hated to imagine what it must be like to be trapped in your own skin like that, unable to look away as your body moved without your control, mindlessly slaughtering anyone and anything. He didn’t know what was worse—the thought that he would still be aware of his actions or the thought that he wouldn’t. Bile rose in the back of his throat. In a way, maybe he’d been looking in a mirror that day in the forest. 

_Am I going to lose myself in the same way Leo did?_

_Is that what’s going to happen to me?_

_Is there really no other end for me?_

He doubled over, dry-heaving onto the side of the road as Zephyr continued on. The hunter grimaced. Maybe death would be a kindness at that point. Zero risked a glance at the woman. He didn’t need to be a mind-reader to know what she’d been thinking that day, what she might still be thinking, and he hated to be the bearer of bad news, but sooner or later she had to face the truth. He exhaled sharply.

“Look, I feel for you, Asami, I really do and honestly, I can’t imagine having to go through anything like that with my own kid. But you have to understand that Leo is hurting people, killing them. He might have been your son once, but he isn’t anymore.”

God, he hated having to be the one to say all of this, but someone had to. This kid was killing people. He was a danger to everyone the longer he was allowed to roam free.

“You can’t save him.”

“I understand that now,” Asami whispered, squeezing her eyes shut at the pain in her chest. “I did not before. Foolishly, some part of me clung to the hope that perhaps I could change him, draw him back to his humanity. I recognize now how foolish of an idea that was.”

Zero’s throat tightened in response. He didn’t know what to say to that.

“I’m sorry,” The hunter finally settled on.

“As am I, young hunter. As am I.”

The duo emerged from the densely packed forest after several hours, onto a clear stretch of cracked and weathered black asphalt. What was once a pristine road now cracked into pieces and overrun with weeds and plants poking their way up through the cracks and gaps in the black stone. It stretched on ahead of them, cutting a clear path through the trees and foliage, following the curve of the land. 

Asami moved to follow it, with Zero right beside her.

“I should tell you, my pack is not familiar with strangers. Outsiders are a rarity for us and non-wolven ones at that even more so.” Asami told him.

Zero’s hand automatically drifted to his gun as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. 

“Should I be worried?”

“Worried? Goddess, no. I see that again, my words may have been misunderstood. I only meant to warn you that there are those who will be curious about you and your mate-“

“I told you he isn’t my mate.”

Asami ignored him. 

“Most have never come in contact with vampires, or even hunters for that matter. They will have questions, no doubt many of them, but feel free to excuse yourself as you wish, you are under no obligation to answer to anyone if you do not wish it.”

The hunter relaxed slightly at that. 

“I see. Thanks? I guess?”

The woman gave him a bemused smile. 

“You are welcome, little hunter. There,” She pointed towards an inky shadow looming on the horizon. “That is the land that belongs to my pack. Can you see it?”

Just barely, Zero could make out faint, but undeniable dark outlines far off in the distance. A domed building that might have been a magnificent skyscraper once, stretched above it all in the center. It looked massive, leading Zero to wonder how in the world the werewolves had managed to keep their existence a secret when they were living in a place like that. He kept his questions to himself.

They stuck to the road for some time, crossing under and over crumbling, aged concrete bridges that looked ready to give out at any minute. At one point Zero was forced to take a blanket from his bag and throw it over Zephyr’s head to keep the poor gelding from getting too scared.

Eventually, they arrived at what looked to be the outskirts of the pack’s settlement. 

There wasn’t a wall or gates like one might expect to see with human towns, but the hunter could see runes carved into the dirt, forming several circular barriers around the place, each within the other. 

It wasn’t much to look at, now that he could see it all up close. The city was tucked away within the ruins of a dilapidated city in which most of the buildings weren’t even standing anymore, instead several tents and shabby-looking lean-tos had been constructed and served as houses and shops, all surrounding the huge, domed building that he’d seen earlier. 

It seemed Asami was right to warn him. No sooner than Zephyr’s hooves cross the threshold, people seem to flock towards him in _droves,_ rushing out from their tents and filling the streets in their eagerness to gaze upon these new, fascinating strangers come to their land. They exchanged whispers and murmurs between them as well, some of which Zero couldn’t help but overhear.

_“Goddess! Is that a hunter?”_

_“What? I’ve never seen one up close before, move aside!”_

_“Look at his skin—so pale!”_

_“And his eyes? What an odd color. Do you think there’s something wrong with them?”_

He tugged his cowl up to cover the lower half of his face and flipped his hood over his head with a scowl.

Most of the wolves were dressed similarly to Asami, in dark leathers or tightly clinging fabrics in earthy jewel tones. A few of them wore feathers or beads woven in with their hair and most had vivid lines and patterns of paint upon their faces. But all of them gazed at him with wide eyes, be it in curiosity or apprehension as they watched Zephyr walk alongside their leader’s, proud stallion. 

While Zero was able to understand some snippets of conversation that reached his ears, there was a great deal as well that was utterly impossible for him to make sense of, spoken in a language he’d never before even heard. People excitedly gestured to each other, pointing and talking with their hands as bare feet danced against the earth beneath them.

Zero tilted his head down away from prying eyes and silently followed after Asami, wondering just what he’d gotten them into.


	20. Chapter 20: Desperation's risin'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zero's confidence in his decision grows as he meets the healer of Asami's pack and makes a new friend. Zero only hopes that time is on his side for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess which bitch is finally showing up 15 minutes late with Starbucks? That's right, it's this bitch!
> 
> A thousand apologies for the delay in posting this chapter, but it's been a rough time for me right now. I've been super bogged down by university classes right now, as well as dealing with family issues and worrying myself sick over my girlfriend who lives in a different state than me and was recently kicked out of her home. I've been struggling to deal with all of that and I apologize now if it affects my upload schedule going forward. Just know that I'm trying my absolute best and I'm really grateful to you all for being so patient with me! ❤

As Zero attempted to lead Zephyr through the crowd, Asami finally took pity on him and jerked to a stop. She raised her voice then, shouting words in that unknown language again to the crowd. The effect was immediate - the onlookers quickly quieted and began to disperse in droves. 

Satisfied, she clucked her tongue and led Fenrir onwards.

“What did you say to them?” 

The streets – if the narrow paths between rows of tents could even be called that – were far from easy to navigate on a horse, but somehow he managed.

Asami chuckled and glanced back at him with amusement dancing her eyes. 

“Nothing too harsh, young hunter, don’t worry. I merely told them you wished to be left alone and that anyone who disobeyed that wish would be dealt with swiftly.”

“Oh.” 

Zero felt a little dumb for asking now.

The hunter trailed after the woman, winding through rows of tents and buildings covered in vines. She seemed to be taking him closer to the big building that stood in the center of all the winding streets and makeshift abodes. 

Eventually, she came to a stop in front of a large, crumbling concrete building where the front half has fallen away entirely and been replaced by a leather tent that affixes to the wall behind it. Swathes of red fabric served to mark the entrance.

Asami smoothly dismounted and held a hand up to Zero. 

“Wait here,” She instructed before brushing the curtain of fabric aside and disappearing into the dark beyond.

Several minutes passed by, with Zero stuck there waiting for the woman to reappear and Zephyr anxiously beginning to toe at the ground. Asami’s stallion blinked at the hunter with his dark, judging eyes.

When Asami finally emerged, there was another woman beside her this time, her dark skin clothed in swathes of red and blue and a curtain of copper and silver braids falling beyond her shoulders. She looked up at Zero with the same golden eyes and frowned, muttering something to Asami who in turn, nodded.

“You there, hunter. Come down here so I can see you,” The unknown woman barked with a rough voice.

Zero dismounted from Zephyr to face the woman, immediately bristling at her tone.

“This is Taryn, young hunter. She is one of our most skilled healers,” Asami introduced with a smile and a wave of her hand. “She can heal your mate.”

“Yes, but not if we waste all day standing here talking.” Taryn interrupted with a scowl. “Can you carry your mate?”

“I- yes.”

“Good, come, bring him inside.” 

And with that, Taryn turned on her heel disappearing back inside of the tent 

Zero vastly overestimated his strength. In the end, it took the combined efforts of both Asami and Zero to carry the unconscious pureblood inside, where Taryn led them over to a small cot to deposit the man. 

Curtains were strung on wooden rods between each cot, and on the far end, bottles and containers lined every inch of tall, wooden shelves and a pot burned over a roaring fire in a stone hearth. Wisps of strong incense filled the air, masking the stench of sickness and wounds.

Taryn immediately set about stripping Kaname of his worn traveling cloak and undoing his bandages to examine Zero’s work with critical eyes. She frowned and gently reached forward to more thoroughly examine each wound with gnarled hands.

“Ah, you used hunter’s runes on him. That would perhaps be contributing to his slow healing abilities,”

Zero’s heart plummeted. 

“So, you’re saying I made it worse?”

“No, quite the opposite. In using the runes you slowed the progression of the toxin’s effects as well. That was good thinking. It may have just saved your mate’s life.”

“He’s not my mate.”

“No?” Taryn mused in a tone that suggested she was only humoring the hunter. In all honesty, she couldn’t care less. 

“Can you save him?” Asami asked, choosing that moment to remind both of them of her presence.

Taryn chuckled softly. “What kind of healer do you take me for? Yes, I do believe that I can save him.”

“You _believe_ you can?” Zero echoed indignantly.

“At my age, I’ve learned that nothing is ever guaranteed, young hunter.” Taryn looked from him to Asami and stood with her hands on her hips and a crack of her old bones. “But for now, you two may leave.”

Zero went rigid, folding his arms. 

“I’d rather stay with Kaname if it's all the same to you,”

Taryn raised her brows in his direction. 

“You’d only be in the way. I can hardly work with you looking over my shoulder, criticizing my every move, child.”

“I-“ Zero tried to argue before stopping himself. She wasn’t entirely wrong in that assumption. Already, he trusted her little and every time she laid a hand on Kaname, he fought off the urge to reach for his gun. Perhaps he was a bit overprotective.

Asami laid a warm, comforting hand on the hunter’s shoulder. 

“She is right, little hunter. Sitting here worrying will do you no good, nor your mate. Come with me, I will have someone show you around while you wait.”

The young hunter gnawed at his lower lip, wanting to stay with Kaname and reluctant to leave him even for a second. He’d never forgive himself if he left and something happened to Kaname because of him. Yet he knew Asami was right. It wouldn’t do anyone any good for him to just laze around and let his worry take over.

“Yeah, okay.”

“Excellent. Taryn, is Kenta around somewhere?”

The healer gave her a wry smirk and wiped her hands on her dress. 

“Oh, he’s around somewhere. Usually is, but I’m afraid your guess is as good as mine if you think I know _where_ he is. Never can get that stubborn brat to listen to me.”

At that moment there was a loud clattering noise as one of the curtains and the rod between cots came crumbling down, followed by several loud crashes and muttered curses. In a few hurried footsteps, a young man roughly Zero’s own age appeared before them, out of breath and wearing a suspicious grin on his sun-darkened face.

Unlike both women, he didn’t wear a shirt, displaying his broad chest covered in dark tattoos and silver piercings. He caught Zero’s eye and gave the hunter a wink before bowing dramatically before them all.

“You called for me, Vaeshyra?” The man asked, looking up at them and flipping his dark ponytail back over his shoulder. 

Zero had heard that word before. Where had he heard it? It meant something along the lines of _leader_ to the wolves, if memory served, which admittedly would explain why the wolves were so eager to listen to Asami earlier. 

Asami scoffed. 

“Well, you’ve finally decided to listen for once, I suppose that _is_ something. Kenta, this is Zero, he is a hunter who will be staying with us while his companion recovers from his injuries.”

“A hunter, hmm? Haven’t seen one of those in a while,” Kenta commented, glancing at Zero with nothing but open, honest curiosity written on his face, rather than hostility like Zero expected.

“Would you be so kind as to show Zero, here, around?”

The man shrugged and gave Zero a roguish grin. 

“Might as well. Got nothing else to do.”

“Good. Zero? Are you alright with this arrangement?” 

“I uh-“ The hunter blinked upon being addressed and glanced at the taller werewolf beside him. “I guess. Better than sitting around doing nothing.”

Kenta laughed loudly at that. 

“That’s the spirit! Come, I’ll show you how to find your way around.”

Sparing one glance back at Kaname, Zero forced himself to follow after the barefooted man. 

Frigid night air greeted Zero as he stepped outside of the healer’s tent and he shuddered, pulling his jacket tighter around himself. There was almost no lighting out, save for thousands of glittering stars overhead which weren’t of much use in seeing where he was going. He could see why Asami wanted someone to show him around now. During the day he might be able to find his way around, but under the dark cover of night everything looked the same. It was hard to tell anything apart in this blackness.

“Welcome to the lands of the Silent Ridge Pack,” Kenta announced, spreading his arms wide.

“Silent Ridge? Bit dramatic, don’t you think?”

The man shrugged. 

“I did not choose the name. The locals did a few several decades ago after most people deserted this area.”

Well, that was odd. The hunter’s brows rose.

“They suddenly all decided to pack up and leave? Why’s that?”

“You’re full of questions, aren’t you?” Kenta teased. “In all honesty, I am afraid that I know not the answer to that either. Lack of resources, perhaps? Or it could be due to the dangerous animals, I suppose.”

“That… doesn’t seem to bother you.”

“Why would it?”

“Because it’s weird. Dozens or hundreds of people just decide to up and _leave_ one day for no apparent reason. Isn’t that the least bit strange to you?”

“Of course it is,” Kenta answered easily. “But it isn’t as if I can ask them, now can I? Whatever it was that drove those people away does not seem to be here now, so why should I concern myself with it?”

“I guess you have a point.”

“Don’t worry yourself over it,” Kenta assured him before taking off down a dark, narrow street.

They passed several more large tents. Most of which were dark and sealed tight. But from a few light filtered through the entry-way and sounds of revelry carry through the night. Kenta pointed out a few that were taverns or shops for clothing, food, children’s toys – nearly anything one would have need of. Including a blacksmith and an armorer’s place.

Zero hadn’t been to a lot of places as a hunter. He suspected more than his age, it was Cross’ desire to keep him close to home. Unfortunately, it also meant that he seldom got to see more than old ruins and familiar villages. He never really got to see what it was like beyond all of that veneer of civilization, the wastelands and places like this. It was astonishing to see how far they’d all recovered while these relics of what had existed before still remained. A meshing of the _before_ and the _after._

He listened partially as Kenta droned on about the other clans in the area and what it was like to live as a werewolf while they strolled through the area of tents used for housing. These tents were much larger and more personal than the businesses he’d seen. Some had bands with feathers or beads hanging down from the entrances and others had children’s toys scattered nearby or stone pathways.

“What about you?” Kenta asked, turning to fix the hunter in place with bright golden eyes.

“Hm?”

“I’ve told you about us and me. But you haven’t told me anything about _you._ ” 

Zero chuckled softly. 

“Not much to tell.”

“No exciting hunting stories?”

_Blood-curdling screams._

_Echoing gunshots._

_The pale, lifeless flesh and wide, unseeing eyes. So, so much red…_

_“Tomas!”_

“No,” Zero hoarsely replied. “Nothing like that.”

Kenta frowned then, before asking him about his family. Zero reluctantly told him of how he lost his family, leaving out most of the details. He explained about how Cross took him in and he grew up alongside a loudmouthed, spunky girl named Yuuki.

“Wait, what’s that smile for?”

“Nothing,” Kenta hummed innocently. “Only, you said you didn’t have a family. But then, what are that girl and that man to you, if not family?”

Zero couldn’t help but think back to long late nights he and Yuuki would spend comforting each other after nightmares. Or the lazy Saturday mornings spent with all three of them gathered around the kitchen table in their pajamas while Zero made pancakes with the remains of Cross’ attempts still charred and smoking in the sink.

“It’s… different with them.” 

He didn’t expect Kenta to understand, but with Cross and Yuuki it was always just Cross and Yuuki + Zero, never Cross, Yuuki _and_ Zero. Sure, he was there, but he wasn’t really a part of their family. He never quite managed to fit in with the dynamic between those two and any attempts he made always felt forced and awkward for all parties involved. Zero couldn’t understand Yuuki’s endless optimism or Cross’ ability to be outgoing. They didn’t try to understand why Zero was so quiet all of the time and unable to make eye contact with others. They failed to realize how difficult it was for Zero to empathize with people and that he wasn’t just being cold, but he was unable to understand why Yuuki was so upset about losing her favorite shirt. It was just a shirt, right? What was the big deal? 

At one point, Zero had sat down with Cross and tried to explain to him why he couldn’t wear ties because it felt like they were squeezing the life out of him when he did, and it _hurt_ and made him want to crawl out of his own skin and he _hated_ that feeling. The very next day Cross suggested that he try wearing a tie to class again.

Zero couldn’t understand Cross and Yuuki. They didn’t _try_ to understand him. After a while, the hunter just stopped trying.

“To me, family is supposed to be people you feel at home with, people that can look at and _know_ you belong with these people and that they understand you.” Zero shrugged lightly then. “I just haven’t found that yet.”

“You will,” The werewolf offered. “I’m sure that one day you will.”

After that Kenta dragged him to the edges of the pack’s territory. Here were small, fields filled with all kinds of plants from grains to vegetables and fruits – sparse as winter approaches, but Kenta informed him that it was always a plentiful harvest in the fall. There was also livestock, including cows and sheep held behind wooden fences. Most surprising though, was the sight of a few lone cottages, surrounded by small green plants and flowers, which Kenta helpfully informed him were herbalists.

It was all so much to take in. He would never have thought anything this- well, this _vibrant_ and thriving could exist in such a world filled with so much pain and death. 

As they walked, Zero found he didn’t altogether mind Kenta’s presence either. The man was boisterous and loud, eager to fill the hunter’s silence with noise of his own but for once it was comforting rather than annoying. It was much easier to get lost in Kenta’s stories rather than use his energy telling his own and trying to pretend that things were alright when they _weren’t._ The man reminded Zero of Yuuki.

“So what else do you do?” Kenta asked as he balanced on bare feet, walking along the thin surface of a fence. “Surely, hunting can’t be the only thing to occupy your time.”

Zero shrugged lightly at that because honestly, hunting _did_ take up a large portion of his time. Often there wasn’t room for much else.

“Not much. I’m not that interesting, sorry to burst your bubble.”

“Do you ride? Horses, that is. I heard from a friend of mine that saw you ride in with Vaeshyra earlier.”

“A bit, yeah. When I can get a moment alone.”

“How long have you been riding?”

“Since I was a kid. It’s so-“ Zero wracked his brain, searching for a word to properly define the experience and finding none. “There’s no feeling like it. Racing across the ground with nothing but miles and miles of open land ahead of you. Feeling the wind brush against your face- it’s something else entirely. And it’s nice not having to deal with people.”

Kenta shared a knowing smile with him. 

“I know what you mean. It’s a feeling almost impossible to describe, isn’t it? I take it that magnificent black blood is yours then? I saw him earlier when fetching ingredients for Taryn. Magnificent horse, that one is.”

“Oh, Zephyr? He’s not mine. He belongs to my companion. I er- lost my mare in the journey here,” Zero responded with a painful stab to his chest at the words, like poking at a wound that hadn’t quite healed yet.

Kenta’s smile fell away from his face and he reached out to press a comforting hand to the hunter’s shoulder. 

“My apologies, have you- did you know her for many years? If you don’t mind my asking.”

“I raised her since she was a foal. She was my closest companion for years. I was the one who named her. White Lily.”

“A beautiful name. I’m sorry you had to lose her.”

The hunter forced his shoulders into a weak shrug, the knot in his chest loosening the more he spoke. It helped that he could tell Kenta didn’t think he was crazy for having an animal as a friend. Part of the hunter wanted to ask the werewolf if he lost a dear friend once too, but Zero didn’t dare intrude like that.

“Don’t be, it wasn’t your fault. But… thanks, I appreciate it.”

“Of course.” Kenta offered a sympathetic smile. “We should probably be getting back now, or Taryn will have my head. I swear, that woman is _never_ happy with anyone.”

Zero chuckled lightly at the irritation in Kenta’s voice. 

“Then why do you stay?”

“Well, as grumpy and irritable she may be, she _does_ know a thing or two when it comes to healing. I am grateful for the chance to be her apprentice, if at times I may not show it so well.”

“I know the feeling,” The hunter responded, his mind drifting to Yagari and his ridiculous training methods he’d put Zero through.

Kenta led Zero back through the winding streets of the pack’s land. He smoothly navigated the twisting alleys and roads, although everything looked the same in the dark to Zero’s eyes. He hadn’t a clue how the werewolf did it, but somehow they ended up right back in front of the healer’s tent.

“Before I leave you, would you like to go for a ride tomorrow?” Kenta questioned, turning to Zero with bright eyes.

Zero drew his lower lip into his mouth and folded his arms, glancing towards the entrance to the healer’s tent. His stomach twisted in on itself as he thought of Kaname lying there, deathly pale and barely breathing. 

“I don’t know-”

“Like Taryn said, it will hardly do you any good to sit there worrying over your mate.”

“He’s not my mate. Why does everyone keep _saying_ that?”

Kenta blinked, golden eyes widening. 

“He isn’t?”

“No! I- just _no._ Not now. Not ever. Not between me and _him._ ”

“In that case, my apologies. It’s just- well, you smell like him. And your scent is all over him, even I could tell that from a distance. Forgive the assumption?”

“Just don’t do it again and we won’t have a problem.” 

“Alright, alright. Point taken. Still, you’ll make yourself sick if you sit around needlessly worrying like that.”

The hunter’s shoulders sagged with an annoyed huff of air that left his mouth. 

“I _know,_ I just-“ He found himself at a loss for words, unable to explain exactly why he was so concerned about the pureblood. The very same pureblood that he’d detested less than a month ago. Matter of fact was, he _couldn’t_ explain it. Not even to himself.

“Truly, it will do you some good to take your mind off of things for a while.”

“Alright.” Zero surrendered. “Maybe you’re right. Fine, we can go riding tomorrow.”

Kenta grinned widely, showing off sharp canines as he did so.

“Excellent! You won’t regret it, trust me. I’ll meet you here in the morning. Rest easy until then, my friend. I am praying to the Goddess for your companion to make a full recovery.”

Zero wasn’t religious. Not at all. God had done fuck all for him, so after a while, he eventually stopped believing in him. Nevertheless, it was a nice thought, knowing that Kenta cared enough to do such a thing for him. 

“Thanks.” He settled on, not commenting any further and instead stepping into the dimly lit tent.

Taryn’s short form is framed by golden light as she looks over her shoulder at Zero, stirring something in the metal pot over the hearth. 

“Ah, there you are. I was beginning to wonder if you’d return at all.”

“I didn’t mean to-“

“I wasn’t blaming you, hunter. Kenta has a habit of running his mouth, for _hours_ if you’ll let him. That boy can carry on a conversation for days, believe me.”

“How is he?” Zero questioned, straight to the point. His violet gaze flickered across empty cots and cloth dividers, seeking out the unconscious pureblood. Briefly, his heart jumped in his chest upon not finding Kaname before remembering he was on one of the beds near the back of the tent, obscured from Zero’s sight right now.

“Well I won’t lie to you and say he’s doing particularly _well_ , but he is doing better,” The woman told him as Zero padded across the rows of empty beds. His shoulders sank when he finally reached Kaname and saw the vampire looking not much different than when he left. There was a bit more color in his cheeks though, which was surely a good sign at least. Right?

“If you insist on hanging around that much, at least take one of the free cots,” Taryn yelled at Zero. “Goddess knows they’ll never see use otherwise, with how quickly us wolves heal.”

“I- uh-“

The woman ladled whatever is in the pot into two wooden bowls and adding a wooden spoon to each before stalking over to Zero and offering one with a jerk of her hand. Steam rises from the creamy liquid, warming Zero’s frozen cheeks.

“What is this?”

“Potato soup. Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you haven’t eaten once since you arrived here, boy. No use in starving yourself to death.” Taryn lectured though not unkindly. “I highly doubt your companion would want you to either. _Eat.”_

As if on command, the hunter’s stomach gave a loud grumble at the enticing scent of the warm, rich soup before him. 

“Thank you,” Zero remembered to add before lifting it to his lips and eagerly digging in. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vaeshyra – One who leads. Essentially the head of the pack, in this case, Asami.
> 
> Vaeshri – Plural for multiple leaders.


	21. Chapter 21: I can sabotage me by myself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Zero is woken from a nightmare of his by Taryn and Kenta, the old healer begins to suspect that there may yet be more to the hunter than she initially thought and even more troubling, that Zero's nightly terrors might be more than mere dreams. Meanwhile, our favorite hunter struggles to establish boundaries with Kenta.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, uploading a chapter on time for once? It's more likely than you think.

Zero came awake at the shock of ice-cold water on his skin, limbs freezing in shock as his eyes shot wide. A half-choked scream escaped him, and he sat up, looking around him in frantic panic before focusing on a very bleary-eyed Taryn and Kenta standing beside her, trying and failing to look as innocent as possible. 

It was early yet, and not even the candles of the shop were lit, but he could see Taryn looking down at him with blank indifference, wearing nothing but glittering golden chains that hang down over her bare breasts and her long swathes of fabric which function as a skirt.

“That will do, thank you, Kenta,” She murmured, satisfied. “Awake now, child?”

With his most exhausted glare, Zero croaked out an answer.

“Yes. I’m _awake.”_

“You were screaming in your sleep, hunter.”

At that, Zero blinked slowly, his brain struggling to process the words.

“I was?”

“Damn near loud enough to wake the whole pack with the way you were carrying on.”

“And you couldn’t have woken me up any other way?”

The healer laughed and lit a candle nearby, bathing the space between them in golden light. 

“Believe me, I tried. Nothing seemed to work, so I had Kenta do the honors.”

“Thank you,” Zero said. “For waking me up, I mean.”

Taryn gave him a look then, one that was hard to decipher, but he was sure he caught a soft sympathy lingering in her golden eyes. 

“Must have been some dream to make you wail like that.” She commented lightly, an invitation to discuss whatever it was that was bothering the hunter. Not pressing, mind you, only offering. The boy was stubborn—much like a certain pack leader Taryn knew, and time had taught her that with people like that, it was best to let them come to you on their own.

“Yeah, it must have.”

Though the truth was, Zero couldn’t recall a second of it, no matter how hard he tried. Just as before, it seemed the nightmare had dissolved into thin air after opening his eyes. He groaned and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes.

“This happen often?” Taryn asked him. “Talking in your sleep, nightmares?”

“Yes. No matter what I do, I can’t seem to get rid of them.”

The woman hummed as she tapped a finger against her chin.

“There is a belief among us wolves that dreams like that, those that keep recurring no matter what you do, are trying to tell you something. Perhaps these nightmares are a warning.”

“Well, I’d understand that warning a lot better if I could actually remember any of these fucking nightmares. Right now, it’s as clear as mud.”

“Hmm, perhaps something is interfering with them,” Taryn pondered softly, her eyes narrowing in thought. Now that she thought about it, she recalled feeling as though there was something strange about the boy when she first saw him. The woman began to wonder if she’d perhaps been a bit hasty in dismissing that feeling.

“Like what?”

“Such spells are hardly difficult, young hunter. It would be child’s play if someone wanted to prevent such dreams from reaching you. For all I know, it might not even be intentional, it could be an after-effect of a different spell or rune.”

“Great,” Zero muttered dryly. _Something else to add to my growing list of problems. Fucking great._ “Could you- take a look? Please?”

Taryn nodded and stepped close into the hunter’s space. She closed her eyes and pressed a hand to the hunter’s forehead, going completely still and silent. 

Zero didn’t feel anything happen. Was that meant to happen? He was pretty sure that wasn’t meant to happen. But he tried to relax as best as he could anyway, figuring the woman probably knew what she was doing. She definitely knew more about magic than him, that much was for sure.

For a while, nothing happened. The only sound was the flickering of the candle and the hunter’s soft breathing. Then, abruptly, Taryn pulled back with a frown on her face, and her eyes narrowed in thought once more.

Impatience pressed on Zero. 

“Well?”

“Yes, I do believe there is something there, blocking a part of you for lack of a better way to put it. It is deep, and it is _strong._ That must be what is blocking your subconscious from these dreams as well, though I doubt whoever put it there intended for this to happen. Still, I cannot be certain what exactly it is with magic so old. Not without more research.”

She scrutinized the boy before her, curious even more than she’d been when she noticed his odd coloring of silver hair and violet eyes. Yes, there was definitely more to the boy than what she saw before her. That much she was damn near certain of. And someone had gone to great lengths to bury whatever it was, though whether they’d done so to protect themselves or the young hunter before her remained, like much else it seemed, a mystery.

_Interesting, indeed._

Zero sighed and looked up at the healer. His throat tightened, and a shudder ran down his spine at the thought of someone poking around in his body without his permission. But he couldn’t ask Taryn to do this, not when there were more pressing concerns at least. Besides, if what she said was true, then he’d lived with it this long, surely a bit longer wouldn’t hurt him.

“Don’t bother. It’s not worth it. You- just focus on Kaname. I can’t ask you for any more than that.”

“Suit yourself.” 

Taryn figured it was better not to push the boy. Still, the magic within him was curious, indeed. What was it about this boy—this boy who was both vampire and hunter, that someone wished to hide so desperately? “Come on now, up with you then. You’ll catch your cold laying on wet sheets this time of year.”

“I thought you told Kenta to wake me,” Zero grumbled even as he stood at her persistence. “Doesn’t that mean it’s _your_ fault in the first place?

“Ah, but I did not tell him _how_ to wake you.” She tutted softly and shook her head. “Foolish boy.”

The hunter raised a brow, unsure whether she was referring to him or Kenta at this point and waved off her request to replace his bedding. It was late enough for him to be up, and Kenta was waiting anyway for the ride he promised him. All the better if they got going before everyone else was up and awake to stare at Zero like the day before.

He winced at the feeling of dry, crusted blood in his briefs and the twinge of pain in his abdomen. Right, maybe a bath first then.

“Um- is there a place around here where I can bathe?”

Taryn tilted her head at him and pointed through a dark curtain in the back Zero hadn’t noticed before. 

“Right through there.”

“Thanks.”

As he bends down to grab fresh, clean clothes, Zero spared a second to check in on Kaname. His heart sank upon seeing that Kaname was still unconscious and looking for all the world like some kind of lifelike doll rather than a person at this point. It sent Zero’s stomach twisting into knots and his whole body tightening as though any second now the pureblood would wake up, and he was scared of missing it. A farfetched idea, as ideal though it would be.

He ventured close to the pureblood, yet not quite daring to touch. It was funny, really. Even with the man unconscious, Zero’s nerves still calmed in his presence, the tension in his form lessening at this feeling of safety and undeniable wholeness.

Zero debated once more the idea of leaving the pureblood and how good of an idea it really was. God, he wished he could just _help_ in some way, any way. But he couldn’t, and that only increased the hunter’s agitation. 

Suddenly, as though appearing through a fog, a piece of his dream the previous night drifted back to Zero then. 

He could suddenly _see_ Kaname, much more still, his skin gray and cold to the touch. Red eyes wide and unseeing, yet still managing to silently accuse Zero. _Just like-_

The hunter didn’t even realize it, but his hands had a white-knuckled grip on the pureblood’s sheets. His breath came in shaky gasps. 

_A warning_ Taryn had called his dreams. Was that the warning just now? Was that what his mind was trying to caution him against? If so, it might have been helpful to at least give him an idea of how to _prevent_ that from happening. _Once again, really fucking helpful. Thanks, a fucking lot._

For some reason, the thought of losing Kaname had Zero going rigid with fear, bumps rippling across his skin. No. Not again. He wouldn’t lose Kaname. He _wouldn’t._

After Zero emerged once more into Taryn’s tent, thoroughly cleaned and refreshed, he was somewhat startled to see a steaming mug of tea waiting for him on a nearby table. Upon asking Taryn about it, she simply gave him the tiniest of smiles and claimed that it should help with certain _pains_ of his, placing enough emphasis on the word that Zero knew what she was referring to. 

The hunter blanched. Don’t get him wrong, he wasn’t against people knowing about the fact that he hadn’t been born male, but well, usually he was able to control how found out and who didn’t on his own terms. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that choice being taken from him or how Taryn would view him, now that she knew.

Upon asking how the woman even knew in the first place, Taryn gave the young hunter an exasperated glance.

“I’m a healer, boy. I should be more worried if I didn’t know such things. You are hardly the first person I have encountered who was born in the wrong body, and you will likely not be the last either, hunter. You can relax, I’ll tell anyone if you do not wish it, that much you can be assured of.”

Zero hesitated before he took the tea with a grateful nod and sipped on the hot liquid. 

Kenta was waiting for Zero as soon as the hunter set foot outside of the tent, feeding Zephyr small bits of apple from his hand. Like Taryn, he too was notably missing a shirt, and his feet were still bare in spite of the morning chill in the air. His dark hair fell freely over one shoulder on the side of his head that wasn’t shaven, a thick braid running through the length of it.

“Aren’t you freezing your ass off in that?” Zero questioned.

“We’re wolves. We are made to withstand the cold,” Kenta explained with a gentle chuckle. “What is cold to you is warm for us.”

“So, you’re not cold? At _all?”_

“Not in the least.”

“That’s weird. You’re weird, you know that?” Zero didn’t understand it at all, these strange customs and different ways of doing things. Then again, his own life would probably seem just as odd to the werewolf.

Kenta smiled. 

“Perhaps we’re just different from each other.”

Rather than comment on that, Zero’s attention was suddenly redirected by the other horse standing beside Zephyr that he’d failed to notice. The beast was a massive but gorgeous, blue dun, with one dark stripe running from mane to tail. None of that was what drew the hunter’s attention, though, far too focused was he upon noticing the two growths of bone, one right behind the other, sitting on its forehead, making it look like a bastardized unicorn of a sort.

“This is Ike,” Kenta introduced proudly, following the hunter’s gaze. “A gelding that’s been with the clan for years.”

“What the hell is on his forehead? I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

“Ike was found near the wasteland. We suspect it is some kind of mutation caused by the chemicals, but of course, we can’t be sure.”

“Is it normal?”

“Not usually, no. Ike here is one of a kind.”

“That’s one way of putting it,” Zero muttered, grimacing at the disturbing sight and turning away. “So, where are we going, anyway?”

The werewolf shrugged and pulled away from Zephyr. 

“Well, it’s still early.” As evident by the dusky purple hues in the sky above them and drops of dew still clinging to the grass. “A-ha! I have an idea. There’s a ridge nearby that gives an excellent view of the sunrise. It’s still early enough that we should be able to make it.”

Zero’s lips stretched at the man’s excitement. 

“Must be some view if you’re this excited.”

“Ah, believe me, my friend, it is. Come, I’ll show you!”

The hunter glanced back at the healer’s tent on instinct, halting where he stood as his mind inevitably drifted to Kaname. _Damn it, this is ridiculous. It wasn’t my fault. I shouldn’t be that concerned about a damn pureblood of all people._ Yet the image of the ill, dying brunette remained unshakable at the front of his mind. Like some kind of ill-fated omen. _Or a warning._

“Something wrong?”

Zero came back to himself and realized he’d been standing still as stone for all of nearly ten minutes now. He shook his head and took hold of Zephyr. 

“It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

Kenta rode ahead of Zero, the narrow trail making it impossible for both of them to ride beside one another, so he took the lead.

It didn’t escape his notice how quiet Zero was. He tried to entice the hunter in conversation as they rode under low-hanging branches and listened to the echoes of life waking up around them. But alas, no such luck, any discussion was quickly finished and squashed, leaving only the bellying of toads and chirping of cicadas around them.

Eventually, Kenta looked back and took in the distressed look in Zero’s eyes, the way his teeth absently chewed at his lip and gave up altogether.

“Ah, here we are!” The werewolf announced finally as the pair stopped at the top of a ridge that looked out over the dark forest and the pack’s lands dead in the center of it.

Up here, strange flora and fauna grew. Pink flowers that _glowed_ under darkness, with petals soft as silk. A peculiar and fluffy purple moss that clung to the trees and rocks. The trees up here were a vibrant peridot green compared to the rich emerald of the pines below.

But the best part was the canopy of butterflies above them, whose wings glowed a pretty aqua color not dissimilar to the waters Zero and Kaname had encountered in the wasteland.

“Holy shit,” Zero breathed as he stepped down from Zephyr, feet stumbling from the shock of it all. His head craned back, struggling to take all of it in. It was all so surreal that a place such as this even existed. Almost like something out of a fairy tale.

“Gorgeous, isn’t it?”

Gorgeous didn’t even begin to describe the majesty of all of this, in Zero’s opinion. He was struck well and genuinely speechless. Yet the wonder and excitement at all of it were broken immediately by his next thought.

_I wonder what Kaname would think of all this?_

_Not that I care,_ he added sternly. Of course not. He didn’t care at all. Why would he care what a pureblood thought? Not any business of his.

He liked to imagine the pureblood would be as awestruck as him and just as frozen in awe. A lump hardened in Zero’s throat as it occurred to him that he might never be able to show Kaname this now, not if he didn’t make it.

That was a sobering thought that sent Zero’s heart plummeting right back to his feet, and he gingerly took a seat on the ground, before his shaky legs could collapse beneath him.

Kenta plopped unceremoniously onto the ground beside the hunter as one of the butterflies fluttered down to land on Zero’s shoulder, its appendages tickling his skin curiously. Zero didn’t even appear to notice.

“You seem worried about something. Is it your mate?” Kenta asked softly, careful not to press. Zero shifted, bringing his knees up to loop his arms around. The butterfly fluttered off, apparently uninterested in any exchange of theirs.

“I already told you he isn’t my mate. _Several_ times, as a matter of fact. Why does everyone keep saying that?” Zero retorted, tugging his knees closer to his chest and fixing his glare on the horizon.

“It only seems that you are oddly concerned about him. I thought you two did not get along.”

“We don’t.” The hunter sighed before correcting his statement. “Or—we _didn’t._ Not before being forced on this mission together.”

“What changed?”

Zero squeezed his eyes shut against the harsh glare of golden light beginning to creep over that thin line in the distance. He immediately regretted it when all that came to his mind was _Kaname._

_Images of the vampire smiling at some joke._

_A flush of pink across the brunette’s pale cheeks in the dark._

_His eyebrows drawn together in concern when he finally found Zero after the hunter had taken off from their tent in the middle of the night._

And inevitably, Kaname’s red eyes dark as he licked Zero’s blood and release from his shining lips.

The hunter shuddered as heat curled in his gut. _Fuck._

He swallowed around the hardening lump in his throat, and his stomach gave an excited, little flutter as butterflies dance around inside of him. Suddenly Zero was hyper-aware of his body and every little thing, every little tick of his pulse or shaky inhale of breath felt like an _orchestra_.

“I don’t know.” 

_A lie._ It was a lie, and at the same time, it wasn’t. Zero didn’t know what changed or _how;_ all he knew was that one day he began to see the man as no longer just Kuran, the pureblood but _Kaname_. He came to know more than he ever thought he would about the pureblood. Like how he can’t stand butter on toast or how the man insists on coordinating his curtains with the bedsheets. Or how horrifically the man snored if lying on his back. All of those things made Kaname a person, no longer just some arrogant vampire like initially thought. 

What changed was that Kaname had chosen to save him when those bandits attacked instead of leaving Zero to die with White Lily. And he hadn’t mocked the hunter for grieving what surely must have been a mere animal in his eyes. He’d patched up Zero’s injuries with gentle and careful touches, and he’d been concerned enough to come looking for the hunter in the dead of night when the weather was downright freezing.

What changed was _everything_.

“Hmm,” Kenta hummed. “You’re concerned for him, though.”

“Of course, I am. He’s my friend.” Zero answered far too quickly. 

All the while, phantoms of Kaname’s fingers pressing gently into his hips echoed on his skin like a faded song. His lips tingled at the memory of the pureblood pulling him into a kiss. Kaname’s touch was different from Tomas’. With Tomas, things had usually been rough and hard, often at Zero’s own insistence. Kaname was none of that, he’d discovered. Kaname was sweet and soft and took his time drawing out pleasure from the hunter. And maybe he’d helped Zero to see that slow, gentle sex had it merits right alongside the roughness he usually preferred. Yes, sex with Kaname had been different than with Tomas. But not a bad difference necessarily. 

“You seem awfully concerned about him, for being only friends. After all, you saved his life.”

“And?”

“And that is quite a bit of trouble to go to, for someone who you only just started to tolerate after hating for so long.”

“He saved my life too. I was just returning the favor, that’s all.” 

The words tasted like dry, chalky powder on Zero’s tongue as he spoke them. Because even if Kenta assumed it to be the truth, he knew deep down, that he’d already done far more for Kaname than the pureblood would ever have asked of him. After all, Kaname hadn’t carried Zero unconscious and half-dead back to town and spent all of their coin on the hunter. Nor had Kaname made a tentative alliance with strangers just to save Zero’s life. 

This was all Zero’s choice that he’d made on his own. No one had put a knife or a gun to his head and forced him to do this for Kaname. He’d done out of his personal choice and his alone. The question was… why?

“So then there really is nothing… between the two of you?”

Why, oh, why did he have to phrase it like that? In such a way, that made Zero overly conscious of the fact that there very much _had_ been something between them. Or at least a certain pureblood between the hunter’s legs a short time ago.

Zero choked out a laugh at the idea. 

“No. Definitely not.”

The werewolf beside him leaned in closer to Zero, golden eyes suddenly mere inches from his face, and the carefree smile gone from his lips. Zero stiffened.

“Then, can I kiss you?” Kenta whispered.

Speech left Zero, along with the ability to make any noise at all. He was just frozen at the question. Shocked because not only had he known Kenta for little more than a day but because of the sheer boldness of him, and he couldn’t find it in him to formulate a response.

Taking his silence as a yes, Kenta hesitantly leaned forward, giving the hunter more than enough time to back away if he chose.

This close Zero could feel Kenta’s warm breath on his face and was tempted for a second to just let it happen, to allow this werewolf to kiss him. Even if it only led to a quick fuck and nothing else. Zero was used to that. He preferred things that way, actually.

But in Kenta’s place, he couldn’t help but picture shorter hair that was brown instead of black and vermillion eyes instead of gold. Fangs instead of canines.

It was the image of Kaname in his head that finally had Zero moving backward while he shoved a hand towards the werewolf’s chest, pushing him away. 

“No.” He decided. “Look, I’m sorry and all but just- no. I can’t.”

The hunter’s shoulders hunched up around his ears, waiting with trepidation to see how Kenta would take the rejection. If he would calmly storm off or if he’d try something while he and Zero were alone. It wouldn’t be the first time Zero had to deal with the sort who couldn’t take rejection well.

“Ah, I figured,” The werewolf decided, quickly backing away with that casual smile once more.

Zero bristled at that. He didn’t like the idea of Kenta trying to kiss him, but he liked that knowing tone even less.

“What is _that_ supposed to fucking mean?”

“I was only joking with you, Zero. Something to take your mind off of your troubles.”

“So, you just assumed I’d say fucking no, then?” Zero snapped, rising to his feet to glare down at the werewolf. “What if I’d said yes? What if I had let you kiss me? What then?”

“But you _didn’t,_ ” Kenta retorted. “If you are worried, let me assure you I would have stopped in that case. I know you have someone else in your heart. Although if you change your mind, I would not mind and I doubt my mate would either. It isn’t uncommon for wolves to love more than one person.”

Zero recoiled with a grimace and ran a hand through his hair. 

“First of all—you don’t know _shit_ about me; let’s get that crystal fucking clear. And secondly, you thought to take my mind off of worry about Kaname by fucking _kissing_ me? As a damn joke? I- Jesus, Kenta. That’s so fucked up I don’t even know where to start.”

The werewolf frowned, and a furrow appeared between his brows. 

“Why? Is open affection not common amongst your kind?”

It wasn’t. But that was the _least_ of everything wrong here. And Zero hardly wanted to get into all of this right now anyway. Luckily, he was saved by a girl from the pack, surprising both men with her presence just then as she emerged from the bushes. 

“Lena? What are you doing here?” Kenta questioned first, getting to his feet in no hurry.

“Vaeshyra told me to go find the hunter,” The girl replied, not even bothering to dismount from her horse as she looked at Zero. “It is your friend.”

Zero’s blood went cold. 

“Kaname? What happened? Is something wrong?”

“No. He has woken up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment and I'll be your best friend! 
> 
> (No refunds though. You're stuck with me! 😈)


	22. Chapter 22: It's always easier to run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Kaname wakes up finally, he and Zero share a moment as the hunter graciously recounts all that's happened since the pureblood was attacked. Zero quickly realizes that his feelings for the pureblood might be changing and he's not quite sure how to feel about that, so he does the only thing he knows how to do and avoids said feelings of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, much love to y'all for continuing to read and enjoy this story (while putting up with my chaotic update schedule)! All the virtual kisses to y'all! 😘

Zero raced back to the healer’s tent as fast as he could, not even bothering to secure Zephyr to a post before dismounting and rushing inside, anxious to see the pureblood. At least, that’s what he _tried_ to do, anyway.

Only to have his way blocked by a pair of crossed lances, each held by a guard posted on either side of the entryway. They both wore furred cloaks on their bodies, and twin scowls marked by smears of dark blue as they each focused their attention on the hunter.

“Mind telling me what the hell the meaning of this is? And why you’re so insistent on blocking my way?” He demanded with a set jaw, glare shifting between the werewolves, one of whom shook his head, a mane of shaggy hair swaying with the movement.

“We cannot do that, hunter. Vaeshyra’s orders were to prevent anyone from entering,” One of them recited in a dull tone, as though Zero wasn’t the only person he’d told that exact phrase today.

Heat surged through Zero, and the hunter’s nostrils flared. What he wouldn’t give to punch something right about now.

“Fuck your orders,” The hunter snarled, pressing forward and watching each guard’s hold on his weapon shift. He sized up both of his opponents with a glance. They weren’t _that_ bigger than him, honestly. He’d probably be able to take them both on at once and win. Which he was about five seconds from doing if they didn’t let him see Kaname. “I’ll make this easy for you; either you let me through right the fuck now, or I _make_ my way through. Your choice.”

“Peace, hunter. We do not wish to hurt you-“

“Hurt me?” Zero echoed with a disbelieving laugh, taking those words as a challenge. “Listen, pal, I’m not the one who brought a knife to a gunfight, so between you and me, I hardly think I’m the one at a disadvantage here.”

A strange growl from inside the tent interrupted Zero then, the noise making the hunter straighten, a movement copied by both guards. They all knew that wasn’t a werewolf’s growl. No, whereas most lycanthropic growls were low and rumbly, this one was oddly breathy and scratchy in a way that was somewhat reminiscent of a human groaning. 

It was evident by the confusion on their faces that neither of the guards knew what the sound meant, while for Zero, it was a familiar noise. A vampiric warning growl was a noise not often heard, but usually emitted by a vampire in the throes of a blood frenzy or during territory disputes, often followed by a high-pitched death shriek as the vampire attacked.

Only, in those cases, said vampire was almost always a level D or C rather than a pureblood. There had been teams of hunters before that had numbered half a dozen or more, which had been slaughtered easily by a noble vampire that had felt his or her territory was being threatened. Zero didn’t wish to see what a pureblood in that same state of mind was capable of.

The hunter ground his teeth together at the stupidity of these buffoons and forced down his anger enough that he could speak without frothing at the mouth. 

“Listen here, you two dipshits,” He hissed, leaning in close. “Either you let me in right now, or you’re going to have to deal with a _very pissed off_ pureblood who has just woken up injured in a place full of strangers, and I don’t think any of us wants to deal with that.”

Both guards seemed to grow nervous at those words, exchanging a glance with one another that spoke volumes. That wasn’t surprising, really; a pureblood alone was nothing to scoff at and an angry one? There were stories even among werewolves that purebloods had decimated entire cities by themselves and felled whole villages in their rage. 

“Just what are you spineless half-wits doing?” The voice of Asami demanded then, from behind both guards. Zero was saved yet again, it seemed. “When I said no one, I did not mean the hunter, you smooth-skinned runts! Can you not use your brains for once?” She hissed, golden eyes flashing. Both guards shrank in on themselves at the demonstration of their pack leader’s rage, hurriedly stepping aside with murmured apologies and a deep bow to the woman, who took the liberty of firmly smacking each one upside the head for their behavior.

“Thanks,” Zero murmured as he followed after the woman. Upon stepping into the tent, he could hear Kaname’s voice, low and rough with disuse, rising as he questioned Taryn relentlessly as to where he was and why Zero wasn’t there.

The hunter hastened his steps, racing down the rows of empty cots until he could see-

_Kaname._

Zero’s breath left his throat in a rush, skidding to a halt as the brunette finally came into view. The pureblood was still pale and weak—that much was evident by the way he seemed unable to even sit up right now, instead lounging against a stack of pillows behind him, but he was _alive,_ and that was what Zero cared about _._ He was real and right there in front of him. 

And when red eyes turned to fix on the hunter in surprise Zero didn’t stop himself from rushing forward and wrapping his arms around the pureblood’s middle. He remembered at the last second that Kaname was still injured and kept his grip loose, afraid to risk agitating the man’s injuries. He didn’t dare let go, though. Hell, he wasn’t sure he could at this point even if he’d wanted to.

“Zero?”

The younger man let out a wet sob against a pale shoulder. Damn, he hadn’t realized how much he’d missed the sound of the other man’s voice until now.

“Who else would it be, dummy?”

The pureblood chuckled quietly. “I- apologies, my memory is still not there yet,” He explained before glancing around. “Where are we? Who are these people?”

“I’ll explain everything, I promise, okay? Just give me a second. I thought- Jesus, Kaname. For a while there, I wasn’t sure you were going to make it. None of us were.”

Kaname softened as he heard Zero’s voice shake. He’d never seen the hunter react like this, and though the circumstances left much to be desired, it was a relief to know that Zero at least cared for him in some way. That it hadn’t all been a lie or some fever dream of his. Even now, he half-expected to hear the name _Tomas_ leave Zero’s lips instead of his own. It never did, and after a while, he hesitantly raised his own arms and wrapped them around the hunter in turn, savoring Zero’s warm body pressed against him.

After a few minutes, Zero made himself pull away from Kaname enough that he could sit on the edge of the cot and not crowd the pureblood. No matter how much he wanted to.

Kaname frowned as he took in the dark circles beneath Zero’s eyes and the pale skin, absent of its usual healthy flush. 

“You haven’t been sleeping, I see. I take it you haven’t been eating or drinking either, have you? Zero-”

Zero huffed and brushed away the hand that reached for him.

“It’s nothing, I’m fine, okay? You don’t need to worry about me. I’m not the one who wound up unconscious for days and nearly fucking died, need I remind you?” The hunter raised a brow at the other man. “Anyway, how much do you remember?”

Kaname frowned, bringing a hand to his face. “I can recall fighting that wolf we were after,” The pureblood said after a moment, struggling to wrack his brain for information. “And then- something attacked me and… nothing after that.”

“That would have been me,” Asami said then, strolling into view of both hunter and pureblood with a cursory nod towards them.

Kaname raised a speculative brow at the wolf’s presence, metaphorical hackles raising. He was still a pureblood after all and held the same inherent dislike for werewolves as every other vampire.

“And you are?”

“Kaname, this is Asami,” Zero introduced. “She’s a werewolf and the leader of this pack.”

“It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance while you are conscious,” The woman said with a gentle smile. “As for what happened to you, I am afraid that is my fault. A werewolf’s saliva has properties within it that turn toxic when mixed with pure vampiric blood. It was not my intention to harm you, but I did not realize you were a pureblood until it was too late,” Asami continued. “For that, I must express my deepest apologies to you, as I have already told your companion.”

Zero took over from there, going on to explain what Asami had been doing there in the first place and why. He let her explain the whole ordeal with Leo, though. When he was finished, Kaname looked marginally less confused but still full of questions.

“You went down like a stone in water,” Zero said with a shake of his head. “Do you even _know_ how difficult it was to get you back to the village? I had to lift you onto Zephyr and let me just say, that is no easy feat.”

“You carried me back to the village?” Kaname echoed. _Why didn’t you just leave me there?_

Zero forced his shoulders into a shrug. 

“Course I did. What, did you think I’d leave you for the dogs after you’d saved my life?” An awkward little chuckle left him. He didn’t like the way the pureblood’s gaze was digging into him. “Anyway, after a bit of er- _bargaining,_ I got us a room at the local Inn. If nothing else, I figured it was best to at least clean your injuries, even if I couldn’t do much else.”

“What do you mean by bargaining?” Kaname pressed, folding his arms. “What did you do?”

“That doesn’t matter,” Asami said, quickly stepping in before Zero was forced to answer that, thankfully. “I found the hunter a day or so later and, after a bit of convincing, managed to get your companion here to agree to return with me to my pack.”

“Yeah, _after_ I spent all our coin on that damn room,” Zero muttered with no small amount of bitterness. “I swear–the fucking nerve of that hag, kicking us out like that. I ought to-“

Kaname’s lips curled up softly at the corners, amused at the outrage that colored the hunter’s voice. Something in his chest warmed at the words. Though Zero had implied his decision to save the pureblood was nothing more than a favor paid back, it didn’t seem like that. Certainly, he’d never gone to such lengths for the hunter before. Yet Zero had done so willingly and without question for him. For _Kaname._

Kaname struggled to process that and exactly what those actions _meant._ There was a strange fluttering sensation in his belly that only intensified when Zero looked at him, those bright amethyst eyes threatening to drown him.

“Thank you,” He finally managed, remembering his manners. ”For doing all of that, for me. Thank you, Zero.”

Zero’s throat closed up like a vise, and he didn’t know why, whether it was the soft tone of Kaname’s voice or the way his gaze lingered on the hunter, burning a hole into him. His knees shook like jelly beneath him. It was like every sensation in Zero’s body had been magnified by a hundred, and he couldn’t find a reason within him as to _why._

“Zero?”

The hunter jolted in place as Kaname’s hand connected with his, jerking away out of instinct as a jolt of electricity ran through him. 

_Ba-dum Ba-dum Ba-dum._ Zero could hear his heart banging like a drum in his chest. _No._

_Why? Why now? Why Kaname?_

There was a ghost of familiarity in these sensations, and Zero knew he’d experienced something like this before. No, not quite the same, it never was, but it was similar enough to have his blood turning to ice.

_No. No. No! There is no way I’m going through that again._

Zero had been through this. He’d loved and lost. That was it. End of story. Close book. Because like hell was he willing to go through that again. And he’d already almost lost Kaname once. What if next time he couldn’t save him? There would come a time like that. There always did. Sooner or later, there would come a time when he wouldn’t be strong enough to protect the pureblood, just like with Tomas and _then what?_ Where would that leave Zero?

Panic crawled up his spine, like ice-cold fingertips dancing along his skin. It was getting hard to think through the fog of endless intrusive thoughts that threatened to bombard him, voices growing louder and louder until they were shouting right in his ear, venom and hatred dripping from their whispers.

_He’s dead because of **you.**_

**_You’re_ __**_weak. Pathetic._

_**You** _ **__**_couldn’t save them, just like **you** couldn’t save anyone else._

_Be honest, **you** never liked Ichiru in the first place, did **you?** **You** were glad to be rid of him._

_They only died because of **you.** If **you** hadn’t been so selfish, they’d still be here. It’s all **your** fault._

_**You’re** nothing but a sniveling weak brat who can’t even take care of himself. How can **you** protect anyone else?_

_**You** deserve to die. It should have been **you** instead of them._

_Why don’t **you** do everyone else a favor and **kill yourself** already?_

_**Your** fault **Your** fault **Your** fault **Your** fault **Your** fault **Your** fault **Your** fault **Your** fault **Your** fault **Your** fault **Your** fault **Your** fault!_

He couldn’t-

He couldn’t protect Tomas. He’d failed him. Zero couldn’t go through that again with Kaname. He _wouldn’t._

The hunter shook his head and swallowed down the butterflies climbing up his throat until he tasted bile. He stomped down on the warm euphoria, flooding through his body and crushed any feelings beyond friendship that might have been beginning to blossom. All until there was nothing left but that blissful, numbing emptiness.

“Of course. I mean, we’re friends now, aren’t we?” Zero asked with a sardonic smile, one hurt his lips so much it hurt. _See? I don’t feel anything for you beyond a modicum of friendship? That’s all this is. Better to give up now and save yourself the heartache._

The pureblood’s expression shuttered before him, closing itself off once more before Zero could even comprehend what happened, Kaname’s soft smile being replaced once more with that neutral frown of his. He’d expected that exact sort of response from Zero, of course, he had. But it still made his stomach twist painfully.

“Yes, I suppose we are,” If his voice came out cold and biting, he didn’t exactly care.

“Zero?” Another voice called, catching both vampires interests. A head of dark thick hair peeked around the corner, lips stretching into a wide toothy grin upon spotting Zero as the strange man made a beeline for the hunter and sidling up alongside him, clapping a hand on Zero’s shoulder. Bright golden eyes flickered between the two vampires expectantly. 

“Oh, by the way, Kaname, this is Kenta. He’s a- he’s a friend,” Zero introduced. His smile was somewhat forced admittedly, given what had happened between him and Kenta earlier.

“It is good to finally meet you!” The werewolf chirped, fixing Kaname with that same grin, oblivious to the sullen grimace on the pureblood’s face.

Something foul burned at Kaname’s insides as he saw the familiar way in which the werewolf interacted with Zero, an ugly and unpleasant feeling that was eating away at him. Who did this stranger think he was, to touch Zero so casually? And more importantly, why was Zero tolerating it? Zero hated being touched, even Kaname knew that. So what made this mongrel so different? What made _him_ an exception to that rule?

“Please, the pleasure is all mine.”

“Something wrong?” Zero asked then. 

Dislike was practically radiating off of Kaname in waves, and while Kenta seemed apparently none the wiser to how fake the pureblood’s smile was, the utter loathing the man was projecting was painfully apparent to the hunter. The hunter frowned to himself, wondering what the hell Kaname’s problem was. He hadn’t even known Kenta all of five minutes, what reason could he possibly have to hate him this much already? Zero fought to keep from rolling his eyes at the brunette’s antics. After all, knowing Kaname, it would probably be some idiotic gripe too, like the man’s hairstyle annoyed him or he didn’t like the colors of his clothes. Zero had better things to do than play along with his childish pettiness.

“Ah, Zephyr is being a bit stubborn,” Kenta said. “He won’t let me remove his tack. I was wondering if you were available to help.”

Zero jumped at the chance. He needed to put some distance between him and Kaname, which, now that he thought about it seemed a tad contradictory to a few hours ago when he’d desired the exact opposite, but right now he needed a distraction, something to take his mind off of all of this and give him some time to sort out these confusing thoughts of his.

“Sure, not a problem.”

Kaname frowned even deeper at that. So this stranger was familiar with Zephyr too? Maybe it was petty, but he loathed the fact that this man was even growing friendly with his horse. Was it not enough that he had to go and take Zero’s attention?

Zero rose and followed after the mysterious wolf, leaving Kaname with Asami and the healer woman whose name he didn’t yet know. The pureblood rose to follow after them, only to collapse once more as pain shot through him.

“Ah-ah,” The healer scolded, striding over. “You’re in no position to go anywhere right now. Like it or not, your body is weak from the venom, and you haven’t fed in a while.”

Kaname gave her a harsh glower in return, offended at the notion of being told what to do. 

“I am a _pureblood.”_

“And you were almost a dead pureblood, don’t forget that,” The healer reminded him, unbothered by his display of bravado. 

Kaname relaxed back against the thin mattress at her words, silently admitting defeat already as what little energy he possessed began to wane. Though by the look he shot Taryn, he was still none too pleased about that little fact. 

Zero gently ran his hand over Zephyr’s muzzle, the horse whickering softly and pressing into his touch. He smiled at the sight as he effortlessly removed the tack, all the while feeling Kenta’s presence behind him and his gaze on his back.

“This can’t be the only reason you called me out here,” The hunter murmured, glancing over his shoulder pointedly.

“It isn’t,” Kenta confessed, shoulders deflating. “I wanted to apologize for this morning. My mate helped me realize that what I did wasn’t right, and I am sorry for playing what must have been seen as a mean-spirited jest.”

Oh. Right. That was a thing that had happened.

Honestly, Zero had been so concerned about Kaname that he’d all but forgotten he was supposed to be angry with the werewolf before him. More than anything, it had just made things awkward between them. 

It was easier to think now that he’d put some distance between him and the pureblood. _Just like it should be,_ he thought _._ Truth be told, he just plain didn’t have the energy to harbor any real grudge against the werewolf for his actions.

“Don’t worry about it,” Zero told Kenta with a dismissive wave. The wolf fidgeted where he stood, looking away from Zero.

“But, I offended you, did I not?”

“Kenta, you already apologized,” Zero assured him with a little chuckle at the worried frown between the werewolf’s brows. “It’s water under the bridge now.”

“Really?”

“Really. Now can we please move on and talk about something else? I’ve been meaning to ask you if you might have anyway I can help out around this place, anyway. I feel awful just taking this charity and well-“ Zero paused, unsure of how much to tell the wolf. Then again, this _was_ Kenta, and he liked to think they were friends. “Things between Kaname and I are… complicated. I can’t deal with that, not right now. I need some time to think for a while, put some distance between us.”

The taller man gave a slow nod. 

“I understand. Don’t worry, I won’t ask questions. I do need to collect some herbs and plants for Taryn, you’re welcome to join me if you wish.”

The hunter breathed a sigh of relief.

“That sounds good. Thanks.”

He wasn’t running away. He _wasn’t._ He was just… avoiding his problems. At least for a little while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zero: Remember kids, if you can’t outrun your feelings, it’s just because you aren’t running fast enough.


	23. Chapter 23: Oh, where do we begin? The rubble or our sins?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaname makes no attempt to hide his disdain for Kenta and things grow heated when Zero finally confronts him about it. After trying to avoid examining his feelings too closely by distracting himself through sex, Zero begins to fear his past has returned to haunt him and is anything but eager to give history a chance to repeat itself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much love to y'all who have stuck with the story for this long! Words can't describe how thankful I am and a thousand kisses to those new readers as well! 😘
> 
> I meant to upload this chapter sooner but my internet was being fucky and I ended up having to get a whole new modem, so that was a headache and a half. Sorry for the delay!
> 
> There is smut in this chapter, just to warn you all and it involves penetrative sex, so feel free to skip over that bit if that isn't your thing as I never want anyone to feel uncomfortable on my account. Also, just a reminder that this fic uses words like cunt, clit, etc. to describe a trans man's genitalia.

Recovery was slow-going for Kaname, much to the vampire’s chagrin. By the third day, he was finally able to stand and walk on shaky legs despite running out of breath rather quickly and having to sit down after a few moments, and on the fourth day, he was able to walk for more extended periods of time. Yet none of that was quite as annoying as how Zero seemed to be avoiding him. Oftentimes he’d disappear from sunrise till sunset, only saying a few quick words to Kaname.

Which was perhaps why he was most shocked to wake up one morning and find Zero hadn’t yet taken off.

“Shouldn’t you be helping _Kenta_ today?”

“No, he’s off with Taryn today,” Zero replied, glancing up from the book he appeared to be reading. “What’s your problem with Kenta, anyway? Every time you look at him it’s like you’re already imagining his demise in that head of yours, don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

“On the contrary, I have no quarrel with the lycanthrope. I merely could not help but notice that you seem to spend quite a bit of time with him for someone you only just met.”

Zero straightened and narrowed his violet eyes, closing the book, and setting it down. 

“And what exactly are you trying to insinuate by _that?_ ” 

If Kaname was about to insinuate that Zero was some cheap, two-bit slut who slept around with just anyone, they were going to have a big problem.

“Nothing at all, I’m just curious as to what the relationship is between you two,” Kaname said, deciding to be blunt.

The hunter recognized the sharp bitterness coloring Kaname’s tone, and suddenly, it all made much more sense. The pureblood was fucking jealous. Zero sighed and turned around to face him. 

“Look, it’s-“ Zero struggled for how to put his thoughts into words. What _were_ he and Kenta? Friends? They hadn’t known each other long enough for that. Casual acquaintances fit much better in his opinion, but he doubted Kaname would believe that. “Okay, I don’t exactly know what Kenta and I are, but whatever is between him and me it- it’s not the same as this, this _thing_ between us.”

“How so?”

Zero was struck by the sight of Kaname’s pinched, tight face. It was somewhat amusing, actually, how he looked akin to a pouting child. He strolled over and took a seat on the cot.

“Well, for one thing, I’m not sleeping with him if that’s what you’re asking.”

“You aren’t?” Kaname seemed genuinely surprised at those words.

“Do I really seem like the type of person who would sleep with just anyone?” Zero’s eyes rolled in their sockets. “You know, green isn’t your color, Kuran.”

Kaname raised a brow. 

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Kaname murmured, growing uncomfortable all of a sudden and overcome with the urge to apologize. “Who you choose to sleep with is your business, I should think, not mine.” 

“Mmm, so you aren’t going to say you own me now? Or any of that “alpha-male” macho, bullshit?” Zero asked, moving so that he straddled the pureblood’s lap, knees on either side of the man. 

Though his tone was teasing, the hunter’s face was deadly serious as look into the pureblood’s eyes, awaiting his response. Kaname knew the hunter wouldn’t hesitate to flay him alive the second he attempted to control him in any way. The pureblood would be lying if he claimed the thought of Zero exerting physical control over him like that wasn’t intoxicating, but he could not keep from recoiling slightly in revulsion at the idea of trying to claim ownership over another person as though they were mere _property._ The more primal part of him begged to differ, but in this aspect, Kaname refused to fall prey to instinct and logic prevailed.

“I would never dream of trying to own you, Zero,” The pureblood responded just as sincerely. “You’re your own person, and I pity the fool that tries to pretend otherwise.”

“Good answer,” Zero purred and leaned down to bite sharply at Kaname’s collarbone. He rolled his hips against the growing hardness below him as cold fingers teased the pureblood’s nipples.

Kaname groaned, head falling back as Zero trailed his lips over his flesh, touch barely light enough to tease. 

“ _Zero.”_

The younger man’s lips curved into a smile as he pressed kisses along pale flesh, blinking up through long lashes innocently. 

“What?”

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” The pureblood asked, stopping the hunter from going further with a hand on his hip.

Zero frowned, annoyed at the man’s sudden concern.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be? It’s just sex.”

Kaname frowned at that and flipped them over, pinning the hunter beneath him as a sudden flare of irritation shot through him. 

“Is that what I am to you? Just someone you can use for sex?”

Zero’s mouth fell open, and his eyes widened at the blunt question. _Yes,_ he wanted to say. After all, they’d agreed on that, hadn’t they? Yet, for some reason, the words wouldn’t leave his tongue. Insects danced in his belly and uncertainty crawled up his spine along with a familiar heat. Instead of answering, he surged up and bit harshly at Kaname’s neck. 

“Shut up and fuck me, Kaname.”

The pureblood sucked in a sharp breath, arousal coiling in his gut at the hunter’s crude language. Some part of him recognized that Zero was using this as a distraction tactic, but it had been so long since Kaname had any sort of relief as the healer’s tent did not even provide him with the privacy to see to certain needs by himself, that he could not bring himself to mind. There would always be time for important conversations later. Right now if this was what the hunter wanted, then who was he to argue? 

“Like last time?” He purred, pressing his erection against the hunter’s hips, letting him feel what his presence did to the pureblood. “Do you want my tongue? Do you want me to _eat you,_ Zero?”

“No, I mean, _fuck me._ ” Zero reiterated firmly, staring into darkened red eyes and rolling his hips into Kaname’s hand. “I want to feel you inside me for days afterward.”

Kaname pulled back slightly at that, with a crease between his brows. 

“We don’t have any protection.”

“I _know,_ and it’s fine. Relax, if you’re worried about knocking me up, you don’t have to be since I’m infertile anyway. No blood-sucking-babies for me, thanks,” Zero informed him with a roll of his eyes, squirming as he began to grow desperate for some sort of friction against his aching clit. “Now, will you fuck me? Or are you just going to sit there and watch?”

Kaname growled low in his throat and leaned down to kiss the hunter, biting savagely at his lips and licking his way into the younger man’s mouth. All the while, cold fingers wrestled with the fabric of the hunter’s shirt as he yanked it off of him, before shifting his attention to the hunter’s long neck and drawing his tongue along the dark lines of ink that stained the flesh there.

“That does sound like a lovely idea, but much as I’d love to watch you bring yourself pleasure, I’d much prefer a more hands-on approach. Maybe I’ll save that for next time.”

The pureblood leaned down to press lingering, open-mouthed kisses against Zero’s chest. A smirk graced his lips as he watched red bloom in their wake, marks dotting pale flesh. Let Kenta see _that_ and still deign to have designs on the hunter.

Zero whined in his throat as Kaname’s lips pressed against his skin, alternating between feather-light brushes of his lips and sucking harsh bruises that will linger for days afterward. The thought of wearing Kaname’s marks on his skin and people staring at them, _knowing_ where they likely came from, sent a jolt of heat to his belly.

Fortunately, Kaname didn’t waste too long before he was tugging Zero’s pants down from his hips. He drew a finger through short, curly silver strands and along the hunter’s wet folds in several slow strokes before spreading them apart. With a slender digit, Kaname gently circled Zero’s sensitive clitoris, leaning down to envelop a bright pink nipple with his mouth. Beneath him, Zero gasped and arched up into his touch, clutching at the sheets beneath him tightly. The pureblood slowly inched another finger into the hunter’s tight wet heat then, watching the younger man’s face for any signs of discomfort.

Zero shuddered and arched off the bed at the sensation of Kaname’s slender finger opening him up, so different than his own hurried touches. It was almost painful how patiently Kaname took his time preparing the hunter, working his finger in and out of the hunter in shallow thrusts while lapping at his inner thighs with his teeth and tongue. By the time a second finger joins the first, the hunter was writhing below him, nearly sobbing as evidence of his arousal coated the pureblood’s fingers.

Zero was acutely aware of every single touch on his skin, even the barest brushes of the pureblood’s smooth but frigid fingertips sending sparks arcing over his flesh. He couldn’t have focused on anything other than the brunette above him even if he’d wanted to, his heart quickening in his chest and lighting a fire that flooded his veins. Thoughts of Kaname consumed the hunter, the sensation of strands of chestnut hair slipping through his fingers, garnet eyes staring up at the hunter with an intensity he’d never seen reflected in them before, ice-cold skin pressed intimately against his own sweaty body—it was everything.

_What is he doing to me?_ Zero thought in wonder, beneath the pureblood’s gaze, which never failed to drive the breath from his lungs and thoughts from his head.

Kaname drank up the deliciously desperate noises that left Zero’s throat like a man dying of thirst.

Sex with Kaname was different than with Tomas. Not in a good way, and not in a bad way. Just _different._ Kaname was all gentleness and patience where Tomas had been all rough and quick bouts of passion wherever they could find time for it. Part of it had been their job. As a hunter there was just no time for short and sweet sex, no spare moments for pillow talk. And well—Zero liked the roughness. He liked the feeling it gave him, being dominated like that. He loved how it cleared his head and made it unable to think of nearly anything but the pleasure coursing through his veins, making it so he didn’t need to think for the time being, just _feel_. He craved it like a drug.

The hunter moaned loudly as Kaname entered him, gently sinking his cock in the hunter’s tight cunt. It burned, but not nearly as much as it could have had Kaname not taken his sweet time preparing him. God, it’s been a long time since Zero had anything other than his own fingers filling him. The sensation of Kaname’s cock stretching him wide and hitting his most pleasurable spots made his legs quiver and shake.

“God—Kaname,” Zero gasped, reaching up to dig his nails into Kaname’s muscular back as the pureblood began to move.

With every drag of the pureblood’s cock, Zero groaned and keened in his throat, unable to hold back his cries. Pleasure rolled through his body as Kaname’s cock drove into him with steady thrusts of the pureblood’s hips, much slower and gentler than Tomas ever would have, but still sending euphoria through the hunter. The pureblood dragged out the hunter’s pleasure, slowly drawing it from him in little noises and silent shudders, which Zero tried to hide by muffling the cries in Kaname’s shoulder, before ultimately failing at that as the brunette changed the angle of his thrusts, hitting the spot inside of the hunter that nearly had his vision going white with pleasure.

“Fuck. Faster-“ The hunter begged in a broken gasp, breath hitching as Kaname heeded his request.

And god, Kaname was bigger than Tomas as well, his cock filling Zero in the most delicious way with each roll of his hips. One of the pureblood’s hands came down to tease at Zero’s clit with his thumb, making Zero’s legs around his waist tighten as he threw his head back.

“Ka-Ka- ah, _shit-“_

Zero’s nails dug bright red crescents into Kaname’s back with a sharp whine as their combined movements rocked the bed beneath them. Kaname was focused on nothing else but the hunter beneath him, enraptured by the sight of Zero taking his pleasure, violet eyes fluttering shut, and a flush of crimson filling his cheeks and spreading down to his chest. In his eyes, the hunter had never been more beautiful than when he was falling apart at the pureblood’s touch.

The hunter’s mouth fell open in a silent shout suddenly, back arching sharply as he came. Kaname didn’t stop, continuing to fuck him through the aftershocks as his cunt spasmed around the pureblood’s hard cock, though he did allow Zero to bat his hand away from the hunter’s oversensitive clit.

Zero came back to himself, looking dazedly into red eyes above him. The pureblood’s crimson gaze was intense as he studied Zero, as though he could take Zero apart with only a look alone. It was almost as if he could see all the things that made up _Zero_ —right down to his very bones and somewhere beyond that. Zero squirmed in discomfort, unable to escape his own vulnerability and itched to hide away because Kaname’s gaze was more than just filled one filled with lust and desire. It was _intimate_ in a way that was both wholly familiar and strange all at once, in the hunter’s eyes. It was comfortable.

And Zero couldn’t have that _._

He pushed at the older vampire's shoulders with a growl until Kaname pulled out long enough for the hunter to flip them so that Kaname is on his back, pinned beneath the hunter. This time there was nothing but unadulterated lust and arousal in his gaze when Zero looked down at him. None of those pesky _feelings._ Just how Zero liked it.

He gave Kaname a wicked smirk before straddling his lap and smoothly sinking down once more. The hunter planted his hands on Kaname’s chest, teeth digging into his bottom lip as he smoothly rolled his hips down and lifted up once more, settling into a harsh and quick rhythm. 

“Zero-“ Kaname managed between pants and gasps for breath, grasping Zero’s hip with one hand. “Slow down, you’re going to hurt yourself-“

“I thought you wanted to fuck me,” The hunter retorted, just as breathlessly, fucking himself roughly on the pureblood’s hard cock as he ran a hand through his sweat-soaked locks. “You going to put your money where your mouth is? Or are you all bark and no bite?”

“Not like this-“

“I like it rough,” Zero assured him, leaning forward to suck and nibble on Kaname’s neck before biting down harshly on the pale flesh in a challenge. 

“Now fuck me, Kaname.” Still no response. The hunter fought to keep from lashing out in annoyance and instead leaned in to whisper directly into the brunette’s ear. “ Please? God, you’re so _big._ Come on, give it to me, please. I want you, Kaname, want your cock.”

Zero was pouring on the charm _heavily,_ as the breathy words left his throat. He didn’t want to think right now. He _wanted_ to be screwed into the mattress, damn it, which the pureblood seemed to be failing to grasp. Fortunately, in Zero’s experience, nearly every man was willing to believe that his dick was made from magic itself and in this, Kaname was no different.

Kaname’s eyes darkened with arousal and Zero knew his words had the desired effect immediately, as the brunette took his hips in a punishing grip. He thrust up harshly into Zero’s pussy, and the loud sound of their flesh meeting filled the air around them as suddenly the pureblood began to drive his cock into the hunter much harder and quicker than before. The hunter threw his head back in a low whine, his cunt growing even wetter at the rough treatment. _Yes, this was what he was after. This was what he needed._ He moved his hips in time with Kaname’s thrusts, needy little noises escaping his throat with each movement.

Zero’s gasps and moans mingled with the warm breath leaving Kaname’s mouth as he leaned down to drag the brunette into another kiss that was filled with far too much saliva and way too many teeth to be anywhere near comfortable, but left him panting and gasping all the same.

“Oh fuck- Kaname, Kaname!” 

Zero was babbling incessantly, barely even aware of what words were leaving his mouth anymore as Kaname took him roughly, chasing his own release. Zero’s hand reached down to tease at his clit once more, drawing another shuddering orgasm from his cunt before the pureblood below him still with a low groan at the same moment Zero felt the man’s warm cum fill him.

A wince left Zero as he lifted himself off of the pureblood and rolled to the side, gasping for breath in the wake of it all. He felt boneless and sweaty—not an all-together good combination, but he couldn’t be bothered to move just yet.

The hunter’s eyes drifted closed as his chest heaved with each breath. His head was blissfully blank and clear.

“Shit.”

“That bad?” Kaname’s voice teased beside him.

“Ha-fucking-ha,” Zero deadpanned. He was too tired to be amused by Kaname’s sarcasm right now. Oh, the irony. “Ugh, I feel gross now.”

“Do you want to wash together?”

Kaname turned to face him, and as he did so, Zero blanched to see red leaking through white bandages. 

“Your injuries-“ Zero croaked out as guilt sank in his stomach. What was he thinking? He knew Kaname was injured and now he may have undone all of Taryn’s valuable work and for what—a round of good sex? God, he dreaded the thought that he might have worsened the man’s injuries. He was such a god damn idiot!

“The stitching must have come loose, I’m sure Taryn can fix it quite easily enough,” Kaname tried, attempting to cover Zero’s hands with one of his own. The hunter jerked away.

“You don’t _know_ that. What if it’s not that simple? What if I made it worse?” There was horror in Zero’s eyes as he stood and backed away from the bed. _God, I’ve killed him. Just like I killed Tomas._

A furrow appeared between Kaname’s brows when he reached for the hunter. 

“Zero?”

“I-“ Zero shook his head. “I think we should stop this. Just- just until you get better,” That last part was a lie, not that Kaname needed to know that, but still, he felt dirty saying it. “I’ll find somewhere else to stay just- just stay here until Taryn gets back to see to your injuries. I just- I can’t-“

The hunter quickly pulled on pieces of clothing as he spoke with shaky hands. It was getting harder and harder to breathe through the growing panic. He couldn’t be responsible for someone else dying. He couldn’t kill someone like he’d done Tomas. This was proof that there should never be anything between him and Kaname.

“Wait,” Kaname attempted once more.

Zero finished dressing and ignored him before darting out of the tent. He walked quickly with no destination in mind, only knowing that the further away he was from Kaname, the better. For both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🙃


	24. Chapter 24: I wage my war on the world inside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zero finally lets himself be vulnerable and opens up to Asami about Tomas and why it's made him terrified to let anyone else in. To Asami it's rather like looking into a mirror and seeing a younger version of herself. The careful wall the hunter built around himself is starting to crack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> College is slowly but surely sucking the life out of me, y'all. 
> 
> As always though, all my love and smooches for all of you who continue to support and read this fic! You all give me the motivation to keep writing and these days that is getting harder and harder to find. Thank you! ❤

“You look like a rabbit that’s seen a fox,” A voice interrupted Zero’s thoughts.

He was leaning on an old, wooden railing at the top of a cliff. One that looks out over the rest of the sweeping valley that’s layered in green. It’s an area far away from the bustling main area of the pack’s lands, probably due to the burnt-out shell of a storehouse a few feet away from him; werewolves don’t like to rebuild in the same place, Kenta told him once that they believed it was bad luck. Zero chose this area for that exact reason, not expecting that anyone would intrude upon his solitude. He wasn’t in a mood for company, so he didn’t turn to greet his visitor.

“What?” He asked, more confused than anything at the odd term that he’d never heard before.

Light-trodden footsteps come up beside him, before Asami’s vestige fills his peripheral vision, wearing a patient curl of her lips. The wind catches her braid and flips it over her shoulders as she braces her elbows on the railing beside the hunter, leaning out over the cliff side and watching Zero with keen eyes.

“It is an expression, nothing more. It means that you look like you’re scared. A few wolves mentioned that they saw you running from the healer’s tent, pale as death itself. Are there problems between you and your companion?” Asami questioned gently, glancing at him sidelong.

“Yeah,” Zero shot back gruffly. “Something like that. Hey, wait a minute, how did you find me, anyway?”

The woman snorted.

“You think you are the only one who has ever wandered off to think, hunter?” She shook her head, but with fondness. “I used to be similar to you when I was just a pup, always running from my emotions and my thoughts instead of listening to them. I thought that if I ran far enough eventually, they would cease following me.”

“Did it work?” 

Asami craned her head to look at him.

“No,” She said simply, though Zero had been expecting that response it still disappointed him. His shoulders dropped. “But I understand what it is like, to feel that everything seems to be crumbling around you and that fate is going out of her way to spite you in particular. Yes, I know that feeling well, just as you do, I imagine. I used to come up here to think, from time to time. Usually, when I was younger and still struggling with my responsibilities as Vaeshyra, but even now, I find myself needing to get away from it all from time to time.”

Zero frowned and kicked a pebble with his toe, watching it bounce and rocket off the side of the cliff before getting lost in the mist below. It was strange. He didn’t feel an immediate need to hide with Asami right there. Zero had never been big on sharing his feelings or talking about his emotions, so with Cross and Yuuki, he’d always just buried whatever it was that was bothering him. With Cross and Yuuki, he’d always felt like he was being shamed or pitied or judged. Those two had a way of making him feel like he was abnormal or strange, oftentimes, a habit of reminding him that he wasn’t like everyone else and just how different he was. They didn’t do it on purpose, of course. But all the same, Zero hated it. Eventually, he learned how to hide, how to disguise his emotions so that they didn’t show on his face and how to bottle up every single emotion or feeling so tightly that it would never escape. He hid, that just what he _did_ —he didn’t know how to do anything else. 

But he didn’t feel any of that from the wolf beside him. She didn’t try and foist unwanted pity onto the hunter or nose her way into his business. No, she merely stared at him placidly with those golden eyes of hers and talked to Zero the same as she would anyone else. It was nice.

“How old were you when you became Vaeshyra?” Zero found himself rather curious. He didn’t know much about werewolves or how their leaders were chosen, and it was a nice distraction from his own issues.

“Hmm,” Asami craned her head up towards the sky as she thought before answering. “I would say a little younger than you are now if memory serves. Barely more than a pup, I was at the time.”

“Isn’t that a bit _too_ young for that much responsibility?”

“To your kind, I suppose, although to us wolves, it is not uncommon for most Vaeshri to come into their position at the age I did or younger. Though I will admit that in my case, it was not entirely my choice to become Vaeshyra.” Asami turned then to look at the hunter once more with a lazy blink of her eyes. “We cannot always control what happens next in our stories or where they take us, hunter. But whether what happens next strengthens us or weakens us, is entirely within our hands.”

Zero exhaled harshly through his nose. 

“Sometimes, the difference between the two isn’t so simple.”

“But, of course it isn’t simple. Life never is.” Asami laughed lightly at the hunter’s words. “ You know, an old friend once told me that a man who is too careful of danger, lives in continual torment.”

“Yeah, well, that sort of depends on what one considers torment.”

“Your thoughts are troubled,” Asami hummed then, finally voicing her thoughts directly. “I can smell your worry on the wind, hunter. I will not pry if that is what you wish but, at least answer me one question first if you will. Are these troubles of yours related to your feelings for that pureblood?”

“I- what?” Zero whipped his head around to look at her with wide eyes like a deer caught out in the open. He quickly narrowed his face into a scowl and forced his gaze away, staring determinedly at the gray stones beneath his feet instead. “I don’t have feelings for him, trust me. And even if I did, nothing good would come of it.”

“Oh? Why do you say that?”

The hunter scoffed. 

“Because I’m a terrible person. Everyone around me dies. I’m- I’m poison.”

“Who told you such a thing?”

“No one. They didn’t need to.”

“So, you came to this conclusion on your own. Why?”

“It’s- it’s a long story,” Zero finally offered, his throat tight as he spoke. He clenched his eyes shut. “Not one I want to talk about.”

“But perhaps you need to,” Asami said, not unkindly. “You cannot keep a wound bandaged forever, hunter; without air, it will not heal.”

She- she made a solid point there, even Zero could see that. And well, if he was going to talk about it, who better than this woman who was all but a stranger to him? She didn’t know him. Zero could live with _her_ hatred after he told her the truth, even if he knew he’d lose her respect.

“I killed someone,” Zero announced, forcing the words from his mouth like picking at a scab. “My lover. My fiancé, actually. His- his- his name was Tomas. We were out on a mission, with a few of these young kids. They were young and stupid. Too reckless to give a shit about anything, really. Anyway, it was meant to be a simple recon mission. Just a sweep of the area. In and out, easy. Now, these ruins were nearly a complete dead zone. Almost impossible to get any sort of radio signal in or out, but the place was ruins of an old city and we hadn’t seen any activity there for _years._

So we go in, me, Tomas and these kids. We agreed that the kids would stay with Tomas while I did most of the real work. It would go faster that way. The kids were goofing around, parkouring across the , and one of them ended up cutting himself. About ten minutes passed before Tomas even realized what had happened. The kid had been leaving a trail of breadcrumbs behind them and not even knowing it. Of course, by the time they all realized that, it was too late. Level E’s swarmed Tomas and those kids by the dozens. It took him three times before he finally got through to me on our old communication devices. And-“

Zero’s throat tightened, but he forced himself to keep going. He had to get it out now, or he never would. “He was bleeding pretty badly from his wounds by the time I got to him. There were nearly a hundred of those bloodsuckers, and not even the two of us could take on that many. He told me to take the kids and go. That it was a lost cause trying to even fight them. Said he’d catch up with us later on, the _fucker._ ”

“You knew he was lying.”

“Yeah, course I did. I’d dated the man for years, I knew _all_ his tells. But I didn’t stop to think about that. There wasn’t time. So I took the kids and ran, just like he told me to. Tomas- Tomas never caught up with us.” Zero’s fingers threatened to break the wooden beam to splinters. It felt like his whole body was disconnected from reality almost, his head just spiraling, spiraling. He took a deep breath in through his mouth to ground himself and held it in his belly before releasing it in a harsh exhale through his nose. “There you have it. I killed my fiancé. “

Asami sighed and pressed her lips together with a shake of her head. “No, you did not. I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault, but rather the circumstances. You were in the position of a leader, hunter. Part of that responsibility involves being the one to make difficult decisions.”

“I know that,” Zero pressed, wringing hands through his hair. “I just don’t think I made the right one. For weeks afterward, I kept kicking myself, wondering if there was something I could have done, _should_ have done. I knew it was my fault he was dead. I still wonder if maybe I should have done something different. If I had, then maybe he would have-“

“Seldom is anything as simple as wrong or right, young hunter. You made what you deemed to be the best choice in that situation, sometimes that is all we can do,” Asami tilted her head, considering. “Perhaps your Tomas would have lived had you chosen differently. But then perhaps he would not have. Perhaps you would have lost your own life. There’s no sense in dwelling on that which we cannot change. Even more so when it involves the past. Mourn, grieve—but do not let it stop you from moving forward.”

The hunter frowned to himself and his lower lip wobbled with the motion. Because the problem was, that was easier said than done, wasn’t it? It was so easy to focus on the “what ifs” and the “might have been”s, vision narrowing to encompass nothing else but cherry-picked possibilities. Hindsight was twenty-twenty, as they said. But it was so damn hard to move beyond that, to turn away from the past and focus on the future.

“Hunter, what happened to your lover was not your fault. Your actions did not cause his death. Stop blaming yourself,” Asami murmured, moving to place a gentle hand on Zero’s shoulder, turning Zero to face her. The fine lines on her face and wisdom in her eyes spoke of losses that she’d experienced herself. Tough choices that she’d had to make as well.

“I wish I could,” Zero responded, voice thick. He hated the way his voice shook with a low tremor.

“I’ve often found that companionship can help. Family, friends. They may not be able to make it okay, but they can make it better, if you’ll allow them.”

“I can’t,” The hunter’s voice shook and wavered as he admitted that. 

He was so used to shying away from people, hiding in his own isolated world. He was poison, he ruined everything he touched. For so many years, that was all he knew. Hell, even now a large part of him protested Asami’s words. That wouldn’t change overnight even if he wished it to. Was he ready to let people in again? To risk it happening all over again? Zero wasn’t sure.

Asami placed a hand over one of the hunter’s, tightly clenched against the railing. She slowly pried it loose and squeezed it, all the while looking into Zero’s amethyst eyes that shined with unshed wetness. 

“You _can,”_ She promised. “You are young yet, little hunter. There is still time for you to learn how to love once again, if you will allow yourself. _”_

Zero shut his eyes with a shaky breath.

“I already told you it’s not like that with Kaname.”

“Of course it isn’t,” Asami agreed, wondering if the hunter had even noticed that she hadn’t once made mention of his pureblood companion. “But I still think you should talk to him all the same.”

“Talk to who?” A new voice interrupted smoothly. Kaname’s garnet eyes flickered between the pair with a narrowed gaze, as though he still wasn’t quite sure what to make of Asami.

Zero stiffened at the sound of his voice, stomach hardening as the werewolf beside him patted his shoulder, consoling before withdrawing her hand and straightening. Something unspoken passed between them as she and Kaname shared a glance, the werewolf nodding slightly before breaking eye contact.

“I believe I should be taking my leave now, you two have much to discuss, I’m sure. I’ll see to it that no one disturbs you while you talk,” The woman said with a pointed tone. One that said Zero wasn’t getting out of this even if he tried. “I shall tell Taryn not to send anyone out after you two as well.”

With that, the werewolf strode away from the two younger men in her loping, silent gait, leaving the two not-lovers to sort out their issues by themselves, remembering with a fond, if bittersweet smile how she’d been in a position similar to the young hunter herself at his age. _Ah, to be young again._

Asami shook her head at herself; it wasn’t that was _unhappy_ with her own lot in life. But she hoped things ended better for the young hunter than they had for herself.


	25. Chapter 25: I am no one’s blessing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaname and Zero have a Talk™ and Zero is slowly getting to the point where he's ready to let people in again.
> 
> Trigger warnings for this chapter: Depression, self-hatred, discussion of past character deaths, discrimination, slurs, hate-crimes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow so uh, I did not intend to take this long to post this chapter but then shit kind of hit the fan so…. Hey – better late than never, that’s what I always say. But I am alive, rest assured 😇
> 
> Side note: I just wanted to say that for whoever needs to hear it, I know things are tough right now and everything is sort of up in the air at the moment, but it’s going to be okay. Don’t forget to breathe. It’s going to be okay, just remember to breathe, which might be a no-brainer but it’s easy to forget in crazy times like these. So just remember to breathe and take things one day at a time. 
> 
> We’re all in this together. Take care of yourself out there! ❤ 
> 
> I’ve been spending my quarantine time planning/working on the sequel for this and hoo boy, it’s going to be a wild ride, y’all, let me tell you, so definitely be looking forward to that. You’ll probably either love or hate me by the end of it, that’s all I can say 😉

“I- uh-“ Zero struggled for what to say, searching for words that didn’t come to him. And wasn’t that just the way it always happened? He could spill his guts to a total stranger without even batting an eye, but the second he actually _needed_ to say something? His brain simply refused to work. “Hey,” He finally settled on, offering Kaname a nervous smile that didn’t quite reach his puffy, reddened eyes. 

It didn’t take a genius to know that his casual act wasn’t fooling anyone – least of all the pureblood right in front of him. But he took a modicum of comfort in knowing that the unfamiliarity of the whole thing wasn’t restricted to him alone.

Kaname looked out of his element too – the first time, that. Zero wasn’t sure he’d ever seen the pureblood look uncomfortable about anything before. His hair was sticking up in every direction, the buttons on his shirt aligned wrong, which left the bottom two holes without a match, and his feet were completely bare. He looked _frazzled,_ and while Zero had seen many things in his life, he couldn’t honestly say that seeing Kaname Kuran frazzled was one of them prior to this moment.

The pureblood stepped towards him, reaching a hand out toward Zero’s face. Zero flinched backward at the sudden movement, instinct kicking in before reason has a chance.

Kaname’s arm fell back down to his side. His garnet eyes stayed glued to the ground.

“I’m sorry,” The brunette said, voice barely more than a murmur.

Zero didn’t say anything to his words as he folded his arms around himself. Where would he even start if he did? God, everything was so fucked up. Between him and Kaname, about this situation, about _him._ Everything was one big, damn, tangled mess. How did it ever get this bad? How did he let it?

“Don’t be,” Zero finally forced out. “It’s not your fault.”

“I hurt you.”

The hunter pursed his lips together and glanced away from the pureblood, tasting something bitter and sour on his tongue as he leaned back against the wooden railing. 

“You didn’t. I think I was the one that hurt you, actually, so if anything, I should be the one saying sorry.”

The brunette’s brows furrowed in what might have been either amusement or anger. Zero wasn’t sure he’d be able to tell the difference between the two at this point.

“Hurt me? What makes you think such a thing?”

“Really?” Zero snorted, eyeing the patch of red on Kaname’s abdomen that reeked of iron. 

“This is my fault as much as it was yours, Zero. I’m the one who agreed-

“And I should have fucking known better than to say yes,” The hunter snapped, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. “You’re fucking wounded, Kuran. I should have known better than to try anything with you in this state. It’s my fault.” 

The pureblood gave a barely noticeable wince at that.

“Kuran? So we’re back to first names now?”

Zero set his jaw stubbornly.

“We shouldn’t have gone beyond that in the first place.”

Kaname’s hand shot out to grip Zero’s arm when he tried to move past the vampire, meeting the hunter’s gaze with a glower of his own this time.

“No. That’s not good enough. You don’t get to leave me without any answers this time.”

The hunter gave a derisive snort and tried to yank his arm free to no avail. 

“Let go of me,” He demanded. “Fuck off with that bullshit. I don’t owe you anything; I thought we’d established that.”

“Not until you tell me why you keep running away from me like this.”

Maybe it was the anger in his voice or the sheer fury painted on his face, but something about the pureblood’s statement made Zero stiffen. For the first time in a long time, a shiver ran down Zero’s spine at the sight of the other man. 

His reaction didn’t go unnoticed by the pureblood. Kaname immediately released his grip on Zero’s arm and stepped away, anger dissolving in an instant. The older man’s gaze grew heavy as he made no attempts to close the distance between them again.

“I frighten you. Is that why you’ve been keeping your distance from me, avoiding me every chance you get? You needn’t bother to lie.”

 _Ah, damn it._ Zero’s heart clenched in his chest at the raw pain in Kaname’s voice, his eyes squeezing shut.

“That’s not it. I’m not- it isn’t you.”

“Then what?” Kaname asked. This time there was no anger or disappointment in his voice, only bitter resignation, and it cut into the hunter’s skin like a blade. “Just _tell_ me, Zero. Whatever I did, whatever I said. Please, just let me know so that I can fix it.”

“I-“ _I can’t._ The words shriveled and died on Zero’s tongue as he remembered Asami’s words. Maybe she was right. He’d heard it said before that if you never face your problems, you’d spend your entire life running from them. Was that really what he wanted? To spend the rest of his life running from these self-made phantoms? The dead made for poor company. What kind of life would that be, to do nothing but wallow in misery and regret? It wasn’t a life at all.

It struck the hunter then, for the first time, how much he didn’t want that. He didn’t want to be faced with a life of nothing but doom and gloom. He wanted more. He wanted to laugh again, to be able to smile without conscious effort, to take a breath without weight on his chest, and to be able to hum the tune of a familiar song underneath his breath because he wanted to sing, not merely to fill the silence. He wanted to learn to be happy again.

And maybe – _just_ maybe, he didn’t want to lose Kaname either.

Zero forced himself to reach out and catch the pureblood’s sleeve as the man nearly turned on his heel to leave, ignoring the voice in his head that whispered how horrible of a person he was, that he didn’t deserve to be happy. _Fuck you,_ he responded to the voice in his own mind. _I- I am-_

_I am not **this.**_

“Okay,” The hunter said, drawing a look of confusion from the other man.

“Okay?”

“I’ll explain,” Zero continued with a nod and a deep, shuddering breath. “Just- not here. Not where someone could hear. Follow me.”

Zero led Kaname away from the wolves’ encampment, off into the dense woods. He stomped over twigs and rocks with confident steps that portrayed none of the nerves that churned his stomach. Before long, he came to a stop before a sizable lake, bordered by a pebble beach and with waters clear as a sheet of glass, letting go of the pureblood’s hand to take a seat on a boulder at the water’s edge.

Kaname wordlessly joined him, pressing their shoulders together.

The hunter sucked in a deep breath, forcing the air from his lungs seconds later, and his heart not calming in the slightest. This was proving to be harder than he thought.

“I told you before I’m a terrible fucking person,” He started.

“Are we comparing sins now? Because if so, I do believe I have you beat in that regard,” Kaname commented.

Zero shook his head and picked up a pebble from the ground, mustering a flicker of a smile at the pureblood’s half-assed attempt at humor. He flicked his wrist and watched it skip across the water’s surface before sinking in the middle of the lake. 

“You don’t get it. Let me finish. I’m a _really_ fucking terrible person. My parents died because of me.”

“Your parents died because they were foolish enough to kill a pureblood’s lover. I know you may not wish to hear it, but they were adults. They knew what they were getting into.”

“It was an assignment which they took on as an extra job, to bring in more money because Ichiru and I were complaining about how we never got any toys for Christmas, only useless socks,” Zero continued, picking up another pebble. _Skip, skip, skip, sink._ “Ichiru is dead because I fucking drained him dry-

“He would have died regardless of your interference.”

“Because he was so damn caught up in his hatred of _me!”_ Zero hissed, his voice bitter with self-loathing. “And you know what the worst part is? It doesn’t even end there. I killed someone else too. The one person I loved more than anyone and- and he’s dead because of me.”

There it was. Right out there in the open between them now, no longer bottled away tightly. Zero had just set free the secrets, the _guilt_ he’d been harboring for years. Surprisingly that didn’t feel as bad as he’d expected it to. But Zero held his breath while he waited for Kaname to take all of that in.

The news that left Zero’s lips was a lot to digest, admittedly. Kaname’s throat tightened as he caught sight of tears steadily dripping down the hunter’s cheeks. He looked at the hunter’s violet eyes dimmed with sorrow and wondered what kind of person Zero’s lover must have been, to have this sweet boy so infatuated with them. He couldn’t even find it in him to be jealous of the idea of someone else looking at Zero in the same way he does, because the hunter has lived a life so devoid of affection that Kaname could not help but think he deserved all of the affection in the world. 

“Zero, I’m sure it wasn’t your fault.”

“Except that it fucking was. I should have known better. Now do you fucking get it? I’m poison, Kuran. I’m the world's worst bad luck charm. Everyone I care about is _dead._ And- and it’s all my fault.” He broke then, hunched over as ugly sobs burst free from his throat, decades worth of grief all bubbling over the surface, only now coming out.

Zero didn’t even notice when Kaname wrapped an arm around his shoulder, turning him so that the hunter could cry into the pureblood’s chest. He couldn’t care, too imprisoned by his own misery and sorrow, crying for the parents he lost too early, the fiance whose loss he still couldn’t quite face and everyone in between.

The pureblood didn’t say anything, simply held the hunter as he continued to let out all the sadness that he’d kept bottled up for so long. How long had Zero been blaming himself for all this? He wasn’t sure he wanted to know, yet at the same time felt he needed to. How deep did this river of self-hatred run? And was it possible to change it after so many years of thinking this way?

“Zero, it wasn’t your fault—none of it was. You must realize that people are free to make their own decisions, and sometimes there is no preventing them from acting foolishly. You were only a child when your parents were killed; you couldn’t have known what would happen. And Ichiru was far too brainwashed by that woman to see through her manipulations. None of it was your fault.” 

Unfortunately, Kaname could not speak about what happened to Zero’s lover, not that the hunter would have heeded his words anyway. That much at least, Zero had to come to peace with on his own.

“You shouldn’t get close to me, Kaname,” Zero sighed against his chest as he eventually began to run out of tears to cry. His voice not more than a broken whisper, he spoke, “What if I hurt you too?”

“I don’t think that will happen.”

“But what if it does?” The hunter pressed, clutching the pureblood’s shirt tightly in his fingers. “I can’t- I can’t watch you die too.”

“How cruel of you, to not even give me a choice in the matter.”

“I-“ Zero pulled back, wiping snot and tears from his face and blinked owlishly at Kaname with a narrowed gaze. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t you think I should get a say too in the matter? Yet here you are, already deciding that I shouldn’t be around you of your own accord. Why don’t you let me decide on my own?”

Zero’s stomach did cartwheels in his throat when he pulled back to look up at the pureblood and noticed Kaname was suddenly much too close. And yet some strange compulsion kept him from pulling away. Without even meaning to, Zero’s lips parted as Kaname’s red, red eyes reeled him in like a fish on a line.

“I- we shouldn’t-“ Zero tried to protest, but the words died on his lips as pale fingers brushed his cheeks. Kaname leaned closer, close enough for the hunter to feel his warm breath on his skin.

“Tell me to stop if you want me to.”

And that was the crux of the issue – Zero _didn’t_ want him to stop. Far from it, in fact. But as Kaname moved closer, all he could see was Tomas’ agonized face.

 _“That’s it?”_ A snide voice in the hunter’s head whispered. _“Your fiancé is barely in the ground, and you’re already spreading your legs for someone else? What are you, some cheap slut now?”_

**No, that’s not wh-**

**__** _“Isn’t it? I thought you loved Tomas. You said you wanted to be with him forever, but here you are betraying him, giving your heart to someone else as soon as he’s kicked the bucket.”_

**He’s been gone for years now-**

**__** _“And that makes it okay? Imagine how betrayed he would feel. The one person he counted on, the person he loved and here he is betraying Tomas just because the man is dead. You don’t love Tomas. If you did, you wouldn’t betray him like this. Least of all with a fucking pureblood. Disgusting.”_

**I loved Tomas! I do! I don’t-** Did he love Kaname? Was he betraying Tomas by doing this?

Zero pulled away from Kaname as the pureblood leaned in to kiss him, breaking off the gaze they shared, not wanting to see the heartbreak written across the pureblood’s face. _This was inevitable—just another reason why things could never work between us._

“We should get back,” Zero clipped as he stood. “They’ll probably be wondering where we are, and Taryn still needs to have a look at your stitches.”

With a tight throat, Kaname turned away from the hunter. It was as if time had stopped around him with Zero’s blatant rejection, and he- he didn’t know what to do with that. He bit into his lips to stop the slight tremble in them that threatened to give him away.

“Yes, you’re probably right.”

As they walked back through the woods, it seemed to take longer than the first time they traipsed through the forest to the lake. Kaname couldn’t help but sneak glances at Zero as they walked, watching the way sunlight caught on strands of silver hair and made it glow or the way the hunter’s nose wrinkled adorably whenever a bug flew too close to his face. His lips quirked up at the corners as he noticed tiny flecks of blue in the hunter’s eyes, barely noticeable yet he couldn’t help but wonder how he hadn’t ever noticed it before now.

“You’re staring,” Zero noted, raising one slim brow and side-eying the pureblood. His steps faltered and resulted in him nearly falling face-first over an exposed tree root when he noticed the smile on Kaname’s face. He recovered quickly with a nervous laugh, his cheeks flushing.

“Am I? Maybe I’m just making sure you don’t hurt yourself.”

The hunter snorted and pointedly looked at the patch of red on Kaname’s shirt. “I don’t think _I’m_ the one you need to worry about right now. Are you- are you okay? You’re not hurting or anything, are you?”

Kaname chuckled beneath his breath. 

“I’ve had worse, but I’m glad you’re worried about me.”

Zero’s heart skipped one, two beats in his chest before he quickly forced his expression into a stubborn scowl and looked away. 

“Who said I was worried about your sorry ass?” He muttered under his breath, missing the way Kaname repressed a smirk at the words.

Neither of the two men had failed to notice the glances they garnered. Whether curious or filled with hatred, they tended to attract attention from the wolves, being the outsiders that they were. Zero should have figured it was only a matter of time before someone took issue with their presence here. 

He should have known better than to let his guard down.

They were back in the camp when it happened, slowly making their way down a darkened, narrow road towards Taryn’s tent when a few broad-shouldered wolves stepped out from the shadows. Zero stiffened immediately, Kaname doing the same and flickering his eyes between each of them. 

_Four men, two women, and two others too covered to tell._ His red gaze slid to Zero. They were outnumbered badly here, that much was startlingly evident.

Each of the wolves wore blue paint on their faces and wore heavy, metal armor on their chests and gauntlets on their arms. A few carried swords on their belts or backs, while others had blades already in their hands, twirling them restlessly. 

Call him paranoid, but Zero assumed they weren’t here to chat. _Fuck._

Between the two of them, Zero didn’t doubt that they could take them, that wasn’t the issue. No, the issue lay in the fact that the last thing he or Kaname needed was Asami finding out they’d killed a few of her wolves. He doubted she’d take the news too well – self-defense or not. The hunter risked a glance behind them, heart sinking when he realized the wolves had surrounded them. There was no getting out of this then.

“You there!” One of the men called, stepping forward and wielding a massive club in his meaty arms.

“Got business with us?” Zero drawled as he lifted his chin and folded his arms.

“You are outsiders here,” One of the women hissed, twirling two daggers in her hands. 

“And? By all means, if you have something against us, I’m sure your Vaeshyra would love to hear it. So why don’t you take this up with her, hm?”

The man threw his head back and laughed before baring his canines at the hunter, golden eyes glinting. “It ain’t you we have a problem with, boy,” He jerked his head towards the towering brunette beside Zero. “It’s _him._ ”

The hunter shifted where he stood, subtly stepping in front of Kaname as though blocking him from the wolves’ view was going to do even the slightest bit of good.

“Any problem you have with my companion, you can take up with me, thanks _.”_

The woman sneered at Zero again. “He’s a vampire. We don’t take kindly to his kind ‘round here. Fucking disgusting little bloodsuckers.” She spat on the ground.

It took everything the hunter had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at her remarks and not retort with a biting retort of his own. 

“Look, you’ve made your point. You don’t like vampires, and honestly, I can understand that. Believe me; I get it. But we’re not here to hurt anyone, okay? I swear, we don’t want to harm anyone.”

“I don’t think you understand, hunter. We just want to teach your friend a lesson. Make sure he understands his place here.”

“By all means, you’re welcome to try, _mongrel_ ,” Kaname countered beside him. He ignored the pointed jab of Zero’s elbow into his side, silently warning him to shut his mouth before it got the both of them into trouble.

“Ha!” The woman threw her head back with a harsh laugh. “Mongrel, it calls us. We wolves were created in the image of the Goddess herself, and our feet have walked this earth for centuries even before those mortal apes brought it to ruins, and you? You were brought to life in a test-tube, sucking the life from others like the damned parasite you _are!”_

A collective rumbling growl erupted from the wolves around them, and Zero shot Kaname a deathly glare.

“Or,” Zero said, stepping between the wolves and the pureblood. “We can all sit down and talk this out; no one needs to get hurt. Let’s all just calm down and think about this, okay?”

His words went ignored, by both lycanthrope and pureblood alike as Kaname inched closer to Zero’s side, just daring any of them to even think about laying a finger on the hunter. It would be the last mistake they’d ever make.

“Move aside, and you won’t be harmed, boy.” It was the man with the club again that spoke. The hunter’s jaw tightened. _Step aside and let you lot take on an injured pureblood, you mean?_ Kaname was too busy posturing right now to realize not even he could take on all these wolves by himself as wounded as he was. But damn it, he couldn’t bring himself to leave the pureblood to deal with them on his own. 

“See, now I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Zero said with a shake of his head.

The man pushed forward with a snarl then, swinging his club into Kaname’s abdomen, sending the pureblood stumbling backward as pain shot through his stomach. The dagger-wielding female wolf then lunged for Zero, teeth bared, and blades out. Zero dropped into a crouch, bracing himself with firm hands on the ground before bringing a foot up and kicking harshly at one of her knees. It wasn’t enough to break the bone, but it was more than enough to knock the woman off balance. She fell to the ground with a groan of pain. Zero’s hand shot out to grip the woman’s wrist when she attempted to stab at the hunter once more, twisting the bone and yanking her towards him. The hunter buried a hand in her dark tresses and pulled her head back before smashing it into the ground as hard as he could. A satisfying _crack_ graced his ears before the woman went limp in his grasp.

“Shit,” Zero cursed as he lurched to his feet, wiping sweat from his forehead. He didn’t even have time to think before his head snapped back as a fist connected with his jaw. Pain blossomed through his face. The hunter scarcely brought his arm up just in time to block a second blow, driving his knee up sharply into his assailant’s stomach.

“Kaname!” His violet eyes scanned the darkness around him, as though just now remembering the pureblood as he searched frantically for him. He finally caught sight of the brunette, holding his own as he faced off against the man with the club from earlier, right alongside two men wielding a sword and an ax, respectively.

The hunter forgot about defending himself as he searched for Kaname and bit out a curse beneath his breath as a pair of sharp claws scraped his cheek, digging into the soft flesh there. He reached for the gun on his hip, yanking it from its holster and turning on his heel to sharply bring the weapon down on the wolf’s head.

Kaname brought his knee up into another wolf’s groin with a snarl before driving his elbow up into the man’s chest and twisting out from beneath him. 

He pressed a hand to his bleeding side for a second; his vision wavered before shaking his head and trying to brush off the pain.

A groan of hurt escaped Zero as a foot connected harshly with his shoulder, roughly dislocating the joint and drawing Kaname’s attention. The pureblood’s vision went red at the sight. With a loud screech that was wholly inhuman, Kaname lunged for the cloaked figure on top of Zero, shoving them off of the hunter before hauling them up by their dark cloak and throwing them into a cement wall with frightening ease.

Someone else threw a knife, the blade grazing the fabric of Kaname’s shoulder mere seconds before a wolf darted out from the shadows, tackling the pureblood, pinning him to the ground. It took Zero a second to place him as the wolf who’d initially threatened them, the same one who’d been wielding the wooden club.

“Augh-“ Zero struggled to his feet as white-hot agony flared through his shoulder. His teeth ground together as sweat beaded on his forehead. He managed one step in the pureblood’s direction before his legs began to shake too much, threatening to give out beneath him at any-

“What in the goddess’ name is going on here?” 

Asami’s sharp voice cut through the violence like a knife, the effects instantaneous. The wolves all froze in place as her harsh tone split the air. Her face was painted in a furious scowl as she strode forward, seizing the closest wolf by the back of their neck and pulling them back. 

“Would you mind explaining to me why you lot are attacking our _guests_ like you’ve all lost your minds?”

The man with the club who seemed to be the leader of the group was the first to react, scrambling to his knees before the woman.

“V-Vaeshyra, we were only- making sure this bloodsucker knows his place.“

“His place?” The woman echoed, raising a brow. “Well, since you’re so keen to remind others, perhaps I should show you where you stand, Min.”

He blanched. 

“Vaeshyra, I beg your forgiveness. These men attacked us first, they-“

Asami shook her head. “Min, do you honestly you expect me to believe that an injured pureblood and a hunter with an empty gun would attack a group that so blatantly outnumbers them? Do you take me for a fool?”

“I-“

Asami’s hand slapped across his face before he could finish, golden eyes flashing. 

“Enough. You and your companions will report to the Sanctuary for now. I will deal with you later, after escorting both of these young men to Taryn. _Understood?”_

“Yes, Vaeshyra.” The man surrendered, bowing his head before standing and casting one last dark glare towards Kaname.

“ _Now,_ Min. Before I decide that a more immediate punishment is appropriate.”


	26. Chapter 26: Denial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taryn patches up our two favorite vampires, but not without letting them know exactly what she thinks of their actions and in great detail. Meanwhile, Zero does some thinking and Asami tries to make amends, feeling responsible for what happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in this update, y'all!
> 
> I hope you're all staying safe and healthy at home! And I hope that this chapter brightens up your day, even if just a little bit! ❤
> 
> Also, I realized that I forgot to say this in the last couple of chapters, but in case you didn't sorta figure it out already, wolves are poly in this verse! Of course, that doesn't mean that ALL wolves are, just as all humans aren't monogamous either, but by in large, most wolves are poly and have more than one mate at a time. 
> 
> P.S: I can't say what it is just yet, but there was a sneaky, little hint to what the sequel is going to be about in that last chapter 😉

Zero let out a hiss as the alcohol burned his wounds, attempting to jerk his arm away out of reflex, but Taryn held him in an iron grip. She pursed her lips together as she dabbed at the blood with a clean piece of cotton. 

“Perhaps next time, you’ll both think twice about letting your hot tempers get the best of you.”

“Those pricks started it,” Zero protested, without any heat to his voice. It sounded like a poor excuse even to his own ears, and admittedly, he hadn’t done all that much to discourage their actions, all things considered. 

She whacked him lightly on his bruised head for his comment and tutted like a disappointed parent.

“Foolish child, regardless of who instigated things, that does not mean you have to sink to their level. You always have the choice to walk away, remember that.”

The woman finished cleaning a cut on the hunter’s cheek and moved onto pressing his shoulder back into place, not giving him so much as a warning before placing her hands on his skin and giving a sharp _shove_. 

Zero’s teeth sank harshly into his tongue, drawing out blood and nearly biting through the muscle entirely as white-hot agony shot through him. It was over in an instant, thankfully, the momentary pain fading to a dull throb as Taryn went back to inspecting his various bruises, prodding none-too-gently at bruises with her fingers and cleaning cuts perhaps a bit more vigorously than needed. It felt like a punishment, and perhaps, Zero could admit, not an entirely undeserved one at that.

“Fortunately, neither of you are too badly injured, it seems. You should be thankful for that. What you did was a very idiotic idea, and one that might have resulted in someone being _killed_ were the circumstances any different.” Taryn lectured, her stern glare flickering between them. “Maybe next time you’ll think twice before acting like a couple of pups, hm?”

Of the two of them, Kaname had sustained the worst of the blows. In addition to needing new stitches, he also needed a healing drought for several other bruises – thankfully, none of the wolves’ saliva had gotten into his cuts, but it was proof that Taryn was right. They needed to be more careful.

“I know,” Zero sighed. Even now, he wondered what he’d been thinking, getting into a fight like that – outnumbered and without a weapon to defend himself. But at the time, he hadn’t been thinking about any of that, really, the only thing on his mind had been defending Kaname. He remembered how easily the brunette had gone down the last time he tussled with a werewolf, and it wasn’t something Zero was keen to ever see again. He hadn’t bothered to think, to stop and question, he’d just acted. And wasn’t that the problem in all of this? All his life, Zero had been trained as a hunter, which meant being trained to stop and _think_ before doing, to be rational no matter the situation at hand, and he’d just gone and abandoned all that he’d ever been taught for the sake of one measly pureblood. He couldn’t think with Kaname around, that was the issue. Whenever the pureblood was with him, it seemed more and more that Zero was incapable of acting logically and rationally. Kaname was a distraction, and hunters were not afforded the luxury of being able to _get_ distracted. Yagari would be ashamed if he could see his pupil now, the hunter realized as he hunched in on himself. He could already hear the man’s gruff voice in his ears, asking him what the hell he’d been thinking and if it had been worth it, going to all that trouble for a pureblood. 

The hunter forced himself to lift his head, just enough to peek at the other man across from him. Kaname looked like shit, there was no denying that. But he was awake this time, instead of lying at the foot of death’s door. Zero felt his skin begin to grow warm, and hurriedly glanced away as Kaname caught his gaze.

_Yes,_ he decided. _It was worth it._

Satisfied with her work, apparently, Taryn sniffed and finally began to pack away her supplies again, carefully tucking jars, salves, bandages, and other instruments away for safe keeping with meticulous movements. After finishing, she paused to stir the bubbling stew once more before stalking off again, grumbling something under her breath about how she asked, “that boy” to pick a few measly bunches of Wunimisa and he “ends up being gone for half of the moonsaken day.”

The rich, red curtains rustled softly as the healer brushed them aside and stomped outside to go search for her wayward apprentice, leaving the pureblood and hunter alone.

A second passed, then two, the only sound between them the gurgling of the pot of stew and the crackling of flames. Kaname glanced at Zero, and the hunter’s lips curled slightly in amusement. Before he could stop himself, Zero reached out and plucked a stray leaf from the other’s hair.

“Why did you have to go and provoke them like that?” He asked with a shake of his head. “I could have talked them down, you know.”

“He was insulting you,” Kaname argued with a frown, looking so much like a petulant child that the hunter couldn’t help the breathy chuckle that left his throat. 

“Are you serious? Kuran, believe me, I can handle a bruised ego, but you? You could have died; do you realize that? All over some stupid fucking words.”

“It wasn’t only the insults. I-“ The pureblood sighed. “Part of me wanted to show you I was capable of taking them on, regardless of how outnumbered we were.”

Zero’s mouth fell open at that, bringing a hand to his face as he shook his head in dismay. 

“Are you- Are you serious? Oh god, you’re serious, aren’t you? Hell, I don’t even know where to- of _all_ the times you choose to show off, you pick the one time when you’re injured and outnumbered? You’re an idiot, I swear.” A scoff left the hunter’s mouth.

To his credit, Kaname at least had the good grace to look somewhat abashed at the hunter’s chastisement of his actions. _Good,_ Zero thought, it served the moron right for acting like some teenage boy trying to impress his crush. He had half a mind to knock some sense into the pureblood himself if those damn wolves hadn’t beaten him to it.

“I didn’t think you would care this much if I got injured,” Kaname added quietly, risking a glance at his companion.

“Dumbass,” Zero chided with a roll of his eyes, though admittedly, the motion was more out of fondness than anger. “Of course, I care about you. I wouldn’t be this fucking pissed off at you if I didn’t, now would I? Besides, after all we’ve been through in these past few weeks, it would be pretty hard not to at this point.”

The pureblood smiled a fraction at that, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“Just not in the way I want you to,” Kaname murmured under his breath, quiet enough to be audible only to his own ears.

Except that it wasn’t, and when Zero heard the words, he couldn’t help but stiffen. Zero’s smile fell away, teeth digging into his bottom lip as he struggled to hold his tongue, yet unsure as to why exactly that was. Kaname was right, after all. Zero didn’t care about him that way, not in the way the other man wanted him to, anyhow. The hunter snuck a darting glance at the other man, the very man that he’d come to know and value as a dear friend in the time they’d been forced to spend in one another’s company. But more than that was simply out of the question. It had to be.

In his chest, Zero’s heart began to quicken, hammering harshly against his ribs with each beat. The hunter forced himself to stay his gaze from once more looking at the pureblood, instead squeezing his eyes shut and doing his best to pretend as though he’d never heard the words in the first place. Even if he did feel something for the pureblood, it was better not to let him know anyways. It was easier that way, for both of them.

Fortunately, the hunter was saved from the awkward, stilted silence that had begun to fill the air between them as Asami chose that moment to stroll into the tent, the womanlooking none-too-pleased about this whole situation. She folded her arms together as she stopped before both men, silently appraising them.

“Well, you are both looking better than when I last saw you. That much is good news,” She commented as her golden gaze swept over each of them in turn, before she sighed. Her shoulders slumped with the movement. “The wolf that attacked you both, Min, has been dealt with. As have his companions. You needn’t worry about this happening again.”

“Min?” Zero echoed. “Who the hell’s that?” 

“The man who attacked you. He has always been somewhat of a troublemaker in our pack, even before now,” Asami sighed, rubbing at her forehead. “Min has a history of questionable behavior. Instigating fights between pack members, stealing prey during the monthly hunt, and that is not even the worst of it. I was beginning to suspect it was only a matter of time before he challenged me for the position of Vaeshyra, with how often he fought against me on things, truth be told. Though I never feared that he would go as far as physically attacking someone like this. It appears I underestimated him.”

“Was?”

“After this latest incident occurred, I was not the only one to see that Min was beyond my control and was far too dangerous to be allowed to remain in this pack. My council and I have elected to banish him.”

Kaname spoke then, earning him a glance of surprise from both hunter and werewolf alike.

“Is that wise? He may retaliate against that decision, you realize.”

“Yes, “ She said slowly, after recovering from the initial shock of hearing the otherwise silent man speak. “That is always a possibility, you are right. Yet should he decide to do so, my pack and I stand ready to face whatever threat he may bring,” She assured them. “I feel that despite my actions, I must apologize yet again for the actions of Min and his companions. This should never have happened, and I assume full responsibility for having allowed something like this to occur in the first place.” 

“It wasn’t your fault,” Zero said with a shrug. “You can’t be expected to know what every member of your pack is doing every minute of every day. Besides, Kaname and I are outsiders and vampires at that. Sooner or later, someone was bound to take issue with one or both of those things.”

Asami inclined her head slowly in the hunter’s direction. “I suppose that is true, though my council and I cannot help but feel responsible for making amends to you both, in light of all this. Therefore, on behalf of myself and the pack of Silent Ridge, I would like to formally invite both of you to our next feast of the hunt, which we hold each month to celebrate the arrival of a new moon and thank our goddess for blessing us with the ability to walk this earth not only in one form but two. You are free to decline, of course, if that is what you wish, but we would be honored to have you join us.”

The hunter chewed thoughtfully on his lip as he considered it. It would help people to accept them more if they saw him and Kaname at this feast, mingling with other wolves, sure. But… things had been less than great between them as of late. Between Kaname’s sudden and unexplainable hatred of Kenta and the sex that had led to the pureblood’s stitches opening up, it was starting to seem like that was _all_ they did, fighting or fucking. 

Not to mention being seen together with Kaname at a big event like that? Well, it would draw assumptions. The very same assumptions that Zero had been working to dispel every chance he got, and now this would only make it worse. People would inevitably think they were together, and Zero- Zero couldn’t deal with that right now. He just couldn’t.

Then there was the fact that this feast sounded like a big event. The entire pack would be there or at least close to it. That was a lot of people. A few hundred probably and Zero didn’t _like_ people. He preferred to stay on his own, and he liked it that way. People were too loud, too nosy, and just generally obnoxious. 

A social butterfly, he was not.

“When is this feast?” Zero found himself asking, despite his thoughts on the matter. Asami had shown them both nothing but kindness since they got here, despite having no obligation to even take them in at all, and Zero couldn’t help but feel indebted to her for that. Maybe this could be a way of repaying the woman, or at the very least, avoid disappointing her, which was the last thing the hunter wanted to do after relying on her like this.

“Should be in three days’ time,” Asami glanced at Kaname. “Your wounds should be healed by the time the hunt is over, and then we can put an end to this wolf you two have been hunting, as well.”

“We’ll think about it,” Zero quickly responded before Kaname could promise anything. 

He couldn’t guarantee they would be there, but it would be a good idea if he could work up the guts to force himself to attend. Right now, he was too tired to think about such things, though, pain from his bruises and dislocated shoulder beginning to set in. But the last thing he wanted was to let Asami down.

She gave a nod. 

“That is all I ask.”

It seemed that there was to be no end to the visitors Kanam and Zero received, however. As Asami made herself scarce once more, the hunter was barely given a moment to catch his breath before Taryn returned, this time with Kenta right on her heels. The man’s brows were pushed together, lips pulling into a frown as he caught sight of Zero. 

Kaname’s gaze narrowed as the werewolf all but sprinted over to the hunter.

“Zero, my friend,” Kenta greeted. ”Are you alright? I heard from Taryn that you were hurt.”

The hunter gave a low bark of laughter, souring the pureblood’s stomach as he did so. Zero had never laughed like that with him.

“I’m fine. It was just a few werewolves who had a problem with Kaname and I being here.”

“You don’t look fine.” 

“Really, it’s just a few cuts and bruises. Nothing to worry about.”

Kenta reached out with a hand to examine the hunter, and that was when Kaname finally had enough, any composure he had left snapping like a thin wire. 

“Yes, yes, we’re all fine. Taryn has already seen to our injuries, and neither of us are any worse for the wear,” He clipped, subtly moving closer to the hunter.

Kenta looked like a kicked puppy. 

“But are you sure? Zero-“

“Is a trained hunter, not a child,” The vampire said, crossing his arms. “He knows how to handle himself in a fight, and the last thing he needs you fussing over him.”

The wolf winced and retreated back a step at that. Zero shot Kaname a questioning glance. 

_What the hell?_

The hunter rarely ever saw Kaname lose his patience as he had just now. The pureblood was usually the silent, brooding type, rather than someone to explode in anger like that. Hell, the man hadn’t even raised his voice at _that woman_ when he ripped her heart from her chest. So why now? What was it about Kenta that irritated him so much? Zero sighed, feeling an ache beginning to bloom behind his temples already from the effort of trying to decode the actions of the man.

“Look, Kenta, it’s okay-“ 

“No, your companion is right,” The wolf admitted, interrupting the hunter before he could finish. “You are not a pup, and it was wrong of me to treat you as such. I only wished to make sure both of you were alright, but I realize I may have taken it a step too far. I apologize.”

Someone scoffed, and it took Zero a second to realize it had come from the pureblood beside him. He shot Kaname a glower, wondering what his issue was when Kenta was only trying to help. 

“Don’t mind him, he’s just an asshole,” Zero said, eyes rolling in their sockets. “We’re still going riding tomorrow, right? I think Zephyr could use the exercise given how you spoil him with treats.”

“I do not spoil him, I merely give him all the treats he deserves,” Kenta protested with a raise of his chin.

“Of course, you do.”

“Although I think Ike could use a chance to stretch his legs as well, a ride would be good for him. I’ll see you tomorrow then, I should be getting home soon. Namid will have a fit if I miss supper again.”

“Namid?”

“Ah, Namid is my mate,” Kenta clarified with a grin. “Last time I was late, they blamed Taryn for keeping me too long and was absolutely furious. I don’t particularly wish to listen to them yell like that again if I can help it. I shall be seeing you, then!”

Kaname glared after the werewolf’s retreating form, which did not go unnoticed by Zero, who only leaned back with a sigh and folded his arms.

“Okay, I’ll bite; what’s your problem with Kenta?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. He seems like a perfectly fine man.”

“I can smell your bullshit a mile away,” Zero retorted as his brows rose. ”You obviously don’t like the man when he hasn’t even done anything to you, Kaname. What the hell is your problem?”

“My _problem_ is the way he looks at you,” Kaname finally relented, pursing his lips together. “Did you not see the glances? The way he kept his eyes glued to you? It’s obvious the man fancies you.”

“He has a mate.”

“Which, as you’ve told me, wouldn’t stop him. You said wolves often have more than one mate, did you not? I merely think you’re far too trusting of the man when you’ve only just met him, and you have no idea what his intentions are.”

“That doesn’t-“ Zero slapped a hand over his face. “For fuck’s sake, Kaname, that doesn’t mean the man is going to rape me the first chance he gets!”

“I never said that.”

“No, you just strongly implied it. Do you even realize how gross that line thinking is?”

“That’s not what I meant to imply, and you know it,” Kaname snapped, pinching at his brow with one hand. “But have you ever considered that werewolves express their affection differently than you or I would? Or that maybe they have differing views on what _consent_ might mean?”

“I-“ Zero paused. 

Kaname wasn’t wrong. These wolves had different customs than them, different ways of doing things, and not even Zero knew of all what that entailed. He liked to think Kenta wouldn’t do anything like that, but then he was reminded of the kiss incident and how Kenta hadn’t seen the wrong in that either. Maybe… maybe a bit of caution was healthy.

“That’s enough, you two,” Taryn chided as she wandered over, holding a spoon with a cream-colored liquid in it. “I swear, can’t this old woman leave you alone for two seconds without you bickering with each other?” She shook her head before shoving the spoon in Zero’s face. “Taste this.”

The hunter was too shocked to not comply, cautiously sticking out his tongue to lap at the liquid. There was a reasonably good chance Taryn hadn’t merely waited this long to poison him, right? 

The hunter’s brows lifted as sage, and something vaguely starchy hit his tongue with a hint of sweetness from the cream underneath it all. 

“It’s good.”

“A-ha! I knew that I still had my talent!” Taryn crowed. “My taste buds aren’t what they used to be at my age, and usually I’d have Kenta taste the soup, but he has a mate to see to. Glad to know I haven’t lost my touch. Now, come, come, get some food in that belly of yours. You both could use it.”

She picked up a metal ladle and spooned some of the chunky soup into bowls, handing them to both vampires, along with chunks of stale bread. There were pieces of some type of dark purple vegetable in the soup, alongside potato and bits of tender meat that tasted only minimally gamey.

Zero took his meal without looking at Kaname, soaking the bread in the soup so that he could at least swallow it without choking on it. Part of him still smarted from the man’s comments about Kenta, but more than that, part of him was… pleased? It was a strange sensation, that odd satisfaction that filled his chest, knowing that Kaname’s vitriol towards Kenta was only because he was concerned for _Zero_. And he suspected Kaname didn’t know what to do with that information any more than he did.

The hunter laid in his flimsy cot that night, unable to sleep and instead staring mindlessly at the cloth draped above him. His mind was too filled with thoughts of the pureblood to find any sort of rest. 

_What have you done to me, Kaname?_ Zero’s heart hammered loud as an earthquake in his chest as the pureblood’s face rose, unbidden in his thoughts. He shot brief, darting glances at the pureblood’s sleeping form from the safe distance of his bed, lilac eyes roving over Kaname’s long lashes and thin lips, soft and relaxed in his sleep.

Zero’s mind drifted to the near kiss he’d shared with the pureblood; how _close_ they’d been before he realized what was happening. His fingers drifted to his own lips at the memory, skin flushing. Even now, he could remember how badly he’d wanted to feel Kaname’s lips against his own. How badly he _still_ wanted to. 

What would they feel like? Soft? Or chapped? Was Kaname a good kisser? Or woefully inexperienced in such an area? Somehow Zero doubted the latter, but part of him liked to think this was one area in which the pureblood didn’t know everything. His teeth dug into his bottom lip as he was unable to keep his imagination from drifting further, wondering exactly what it would be like to kiss the man.

_It's just lust. Just because you want to fuck the guy, doesn’t mean you’re in love with him. He’s a good fuck, that’s it. Stop thinking with your dick, Zero._

“Right, just sex. That’s it,” Zero murmured to himself. There wasn’t anything more between him and Kaname. He wouldn’t betray Tomas like that. He just _wouldn’t._

Or so he told himself.


	27. Chapter 27: Worse than nicotine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaname stakes his claim on the hunter without ever saying a word.
> 
> *Pure smut ch*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Ello, lovelies! Hope you're all still staying relatively sane during the quarantine and healthy as well! I hope this chapter brightens your day at least a little bit, in the same way reading your comments and seeing your kudos/bookmarks never fails to brighten mine! ❤
> 
> Warning for feminine terms for a trans person's anatomy in this chapter, mild dirty talk, somewhat dubious consent due to Zero being kind of blood drunk (blood tipsy? I guess?)

The next morning Zero was awake well before dawn even broke, laying perfectly still and silent for several minutes, content to enjoy that quiet hush of air that fell over everything before the day truly began. He groaned as the alluring temptation of slumber beckoned to him and eventually rolled over. He’d slept this long, surely a few more minutes couldn’t hurt, right?

Nearly half an hour later, the hunter realized that he could no longer prolong having to get out of bed and face the world, despite how much he might wish to. He hauled himself up, stretching his arms overhead and popping his back. The hunter rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he eyed the empty cot beside his own and noticed that Taryn was nowhere to be seen. 

“She left about an hour ago,” A voice murmured as Kaname walked out from the shadows, shaking droplets of water from his hair and distinctly lacking a shirt of any kind, which was hard _not_ to notice. “I believe she said something about Asami requiring her help.”

“Of course she did,“ Zero murmured around a yawn, while he followed a drop of water that ran down a taut abdomen, skimming over a darkened line of scar tissue before disappearing beneath the waistline of a pair of trousers. Given their healing abilities, seeing a pureblood, or any vampire for that matter, with a scar, was a rare thing indeed, and part of the hunter was curious to the story behind it. One of the man's dark brows rose, and Zero shook his head, belatedly realizing he’d been staring. 

It was hard _not_ to _._

Kaname wasn’t a particularly well-muscled man by the definition of most. That is, he looked nothing like the men and women that practically _lived_ in the association gym – the kind that were all bulging biceps that looked more like boulders than muscle and without a single ounce of fat anywhere on their body. Kaname was far more svelte in comparison, almost delicate-looking save for how whenever he moved, his lithe limbs flexed and tensed, a silent hint at the hidden strength and power that lay hidden beneath it all. Zero shivered involuntarily, remembering the last time he’d seen that strength on display. He swallowed tightly and finally mustered the effort to drag his gaze away from the other man. 

“I should grab something to eat before meeting Kenta. You hungry?” Zero stood suddenly, attempting to sound nonchalant about the whole thing, despite his cunt growing hot and wet beneath the flimsy sleep pants he wore. _Jesus Christ, you are a grown man, not a fourteen-year-old, get a hold of yourself!_ But no amount of chiding himself internally seemed to be doing anything to make his budding arousal go away. If anything, the heat curling in his gut only seemed to grow, spreading beneath his skin like an inferno and threatening to burn him from the inside out. 

_Fuck._ Zero pressed his thighs together tightly, as though that would do anything to hide the smell of his burgeoning arousal that tainted the air. A flush crawled up his neck, staining his cheeks and kissing his ears. _Fucking wet dreams. Fucking libido. Fucking- fuck!_

His tongue darted out to wet his lips as Kaname turned away for a moment, giving the hunter a good view of his toned back and the way his pants clung his ass. Zero’s mouth dried up in an instant, his tongue a heavy leaden weight behind his lips. He stiffened when Kaname moved to face him once more, his garnet gaze digging into Zero like he could see right through the hunter. Hell, he probably could.

“That depends.”

Zero blinked, having forgotten that he even asked a question in the first place. “On what?”

There was no mistaking the way Kaname’s gaze roved over him, somehow leaving the hunter feeling exposed beneath his clothing. 

“On what you’re offering _._ ”

There was a snort from the hunter as he raised his brows, arms folding of their own accord. “And what do you think I’m offering?”

Zero held his breath as the pureblood approached him in slow, measured steps, coming to a stop before him. The hunter swallowed around the tightness in his throat and raised his chin stubbornly, looking the taller man in the eyes.

Kaname paused, eyes drifting to the hunter's lips. The air was so saturated with the scent of the boy's arousal that he could almost taste his wetness on his tongue. It was taking every ounce of his self-control not to throw the boy down and take him then and there, without regard to what Zero wanted. But he resisted – he was no animal, and he refused to behave as though he was but prey to his lesser instincts.

Instead, the pureblood leaned closer, breath whispering across the hunter’s lips as he spoke. “Why don’t you tell me?”

It was hard to tell who moved first. All Zero knew was that one second he was standing before one of the most powerful purebloods in the world, underwear growing damp with arousal and the next he was threading his fingers through wet strands of brown hair, tugging Kaname impossibly closer. He nipped viciously at the man's lips, groaning lowly as Kaname soothed the cut with his tongue before brushing it against the hunter's, allowing him the barest taste of the older man's blood. Zero's knees nearly buckled underneath him at the taste, ripples of pleasure flooding his veins. It was too much, the way everything around him seemed to brighten, and his senses intensified tenfold. Too much yet not enough. It hadn't even been a proper taste, but the hunter found himself growling lightly in his impatience for more.

Zero hit the bed with the back of his knees before letting Kaname push him down onto the flimsy mattress. A sharp gasp escaped the boy at the sudden movement, and in retaliation, he pinched harshly at one of the rosy buds on Kaname's chest. The pureblood hissed and rolled his hardening cock against the hunter's hip.

In the end, Zero broke contact first, flipping them over with a snarl and straddling the pureblood’s hips. His crimson eyes flickered for a moment as clarity overcame him.

“We- we shouldn’t-“ Zero started, words breaking with a shudder as Kaname’s icy fingers skimmed his inner thighs. The pureblood smirked before biting into his bottom lip, breaking the skin with his fangs and delighting in the way Zero froze as his blood filled the air. Kaname tugged him down into another kiss before he could protest.

"Mm, Kenta-" Zero gasped between them, Kaname snarling at the sound of the werewolf's name. "Kenta will be here soon-" The hunter protested. His body sang at the taste of Kaname's blood on his lips, and his skin was on fire.

“Don’t care,” Kaname returned, gripping the hunter’s briefs and yanking them down the boy’s thighs, Zero obligingly raising his hips to help before kicking them off. The hunter whined sharply as Kaname’s fingers teased at his damp lips. “Want to taste you.”

Zero's brows drew together in confusion when Kaname made no attempts to move despite his words, and he realized a split second later what the pureblood meant, a bolt of arousal surging up his spine.

“ _Fuck,”_ He cursed as Kaname nipped sharply at his collarbone, soothing the spot a second later with his tongue.

"That's the idea, yes," Kaname shot right back with a smug smirk before trailing his lips down Zero's throat, pausing just long enough to growl in annoyance at fabric blocking his way. He yanked the shirt off of Zero before resuming his teasing kisses and licks along the hunter's throat and collarbone, bracing one hand against the boy's hip. At the same time, the other gently spread his labia open to teasingly trail along the gathered wetness between them.

Zero pulled back, though with great reluctance. “Thought you wanted to taste me,” He teased.

"I do very much so."

The hunter’s expression faltered then, wariness crossing his face. “And you- Are you sure you want to do it this way? I mean, we can always-“

“Zero,” Kaname interrupted, though not unkindly. “I would not have asked if I was not certain.” He took one of the hunter’s hands in his own then, pressing a kiss to the back of it and watching Zero swallow tightly at the action. It was adorable, really, how the hunter rarely batted an eye at most of the things Kaname suggested in the bedroom, no matter how outlandish and how some of the words that left his mouth while in the throes of passion were absolutely _filthy,_ yet a mere action such as this never failed to fluster the boy. 

“Alright,” Zero agreed somewhat uncertainly, moving so that instead of the pureblood’s hips, he was instead straddling the man’s face, powerful thighs blanketing the brunette’s head on either side. He opened his mouth, another protest on his lips, only for it to instead come out in a moan as Kaname boldly licked a stripe up the seam of his lips.

“Oooh,” The hunter shuddered as the man repeated the action, bringing one hand up to spread the wet lips of the boy’s cunt before licking at his opening. Zero reached out, gripping the headboard with both hands as the warm tongue expertly traced the contours of his pussy, licking and suckling at the hunter’s wetness before delving into his hole. 

Zero tossed his head back with a groan and a sharp whine, hips moving of their own accord, desperate to get more of the pureblood’s tongue inside of him. And _oh,_ he was quickly learning that the pureblood apparently had a longer tongue than he'd thought as he felt it lap at his inner walls, brushing that spot inside of him that had white-hot pleasure shooting down his spine and made his thighs tense. Don't get him wrong – he knew why Kaname was doing this, he wasn't that much of an idiot as to not understand that the pureblood's jealousy of Kenta played a large part. He was all-too-aware of Kaname's ridiculous need to stake his claim on the hunter, but right now, he didn't much care, as desperate for him to touch his aching cunt. And well, he'd be lying if he claimed that the possessiveness wasn't the least bit hot.

“Gods,” The hunter panted. “More!”

His response was an answering growl and a tongue lightly teasing at his sensitive clitoris, alternating between gently swirling around the hood and gracing it with kitten-like licks. 

Kaname could barely think, barely breathe, his mind lost in a haze of euphoria. The pureblood only narrowly prevented his fangs from breaking the skin as desire clouded his mind, unable to think of anything but _Zero, Zero, Zero_ , and his desperate wish to taste the hunter on a more primal level, to fuck slowly into the hunter's wet heat and claim him as his mate. But no – not now. Right now, he wanted to _taste_ Zero.

Zero reached down with one hand, carding slim fingers through the older man's strands as lightning raced through his body. His eyelids fluttered closed of their own accord as his fingers tightened in Kaname's hair. The older man continued to pleasure the boy above him, suckling and lapping at the hunter's warm wetness, wringing desperate whines and moans from the boy that served only to fuel his own arousal.

"Kaname," Zero panted, the man's name sounding like a mantra as it left his lips. His thighs quaked and trembled on either side of the pureblood's head as he struggled to breathe through the waves of pleasure that coursed through him with each stroke of the pureblood's tongue.

Every touch of the pureblood lit a fire beneath Zero's skin, smoldering away at his control. All he could comprehend anymore was Kaname's hands and lips on his body and the pleasure filling his veins like a drug he didn't want to quit. He'd never been this sensitive before with any of his past lovers. But with Kaname? Every drag of smooth fingers or press of lips sent electric tingles through the hunter, the kind that had him grinding down into the touch, seeking more and more of the sensation. Kaname undid him in a way Zero had never experienced before, and it was terrifying.

The loud, wet noises of Kaname's tongue against his cunt filled the room, creating a symphony of desire alongside Zero's desperate cries, loud enough to be heard likely by even those outside, though Zero couldn't bring himself to care.

His mind was too preoccupied with the pureblood between his thighs, lapping eagerly at his cunt, to even consider anything else. It was downright scary how easily this pureblood managed to captivate his thoughts. The very same pureblood that he'd hated and despised for many, many years, wanting nothing to do with him, and now he couldn't scrub Kaname from his mind no matter how much he tried. And that might have just been the worst and most annoying part – more than the bruises and hickeys Kaname pressed to his skin, was the permanent mark he'd left in Zero's memories, how he made himself right at home amidst Zero's thoughts.

Just as Zero nearly reached that crescendo of release, the pureblood pulled away suddenly, leaving him painfully aroused and irate. He glares down at the pureblood in baleful annoyance. "Why'd you stop?"

"Because I want to hear you beg for it," Kaname purred, chilled fingers tracing the shapes of tattoos on the hunter's thighs. "I want to hear you plead me for release."

And oh, he'd never wanted anything more than to hear Zero's hoarse voice crying out his name, begging him through desperate sobs for a release that he knew only _Kaname_ could give him. He wanted to see Zero lose himself in his pleasure, realizing that no one else could bring him as much pleasure as the pureblood - not then, not ever.

A breathy laugh erupted from the hunter above him, lips curling as Zero lifted his brows. “I don’t beg for anything from anyone, not even you,” He scoffed. “You don’t really think you can change that, do you?”

Kaname hummed. “I _know_ so.”

"Prove it then," Zero challenged.

“Oh, I intend to.”

Before Zero could open his mouth to respond to that, one of Kaname's fingers sank into his warm cunt, suddenly and without warning, making the hunter hiss in discomfort that quickly evaporated as the brunette's tongue began to tease at his clit, those long fingers thrusting in and out of his sopping cunt. 

Eventually, Zero groaned and released his grip on the man's hair, his hand instead coming up to tease and pinch at his nipples. That was another strange thing. Zero's chest had never been particularly sensitive before, and his partners have never paid much attention to that area during sex. But, as with everything it seemed, it was different with Kaname. 

Under the pureblood's careful ministrations, Zero writhed and moaned, gasping out noises he'd never even heard himself _make_ before. Kaname took him apart, piece by piece beneath him, and it was the most lovely torture, each time drawing back as Zero neared his release only to resume his worship of the hunter seconds later. 

"God- Kaname," Zero whined after about the fifth time he'd been denied his release, skin red with bruises and wet with sweat and trails left by Kaname's lips. His clit ached at this point, and beneath him, the pureblood's face was wet and shiny with his juices. "Fuck! Don't stop- God-"

“What do you want?” The pureblood asked in a husky voice, teasingly licking at the boy’s entrance with flicks of his tongue. “If you want release, you need only ask. Just one, little, word, that’s all it takes.” 

The hunter threw his head back with a whine, teeth digging into his bottom lip and tears of frustration pricking at the corners of his eyes, his desperate need for release warring with his pride. “F-fuck you, Kaname.”

He merely received a low chuckle in return from the man beneath him.

So lost in his need for release, Zero never even heard the faint sound of fabric being drawn back, nor the retreating footsteps. 

Though little failed to escape Kaname's notice and when the sound of the noise met his ears, a wicked smirk pulled at his lips as he chose that moment to decide to take mercy upon the hunter. The pureblood spread the lips of the boy's pussy with his fingers before he resumed licking at the boy's clitoris with vigor, relentlessly stimulating the bundle of nerves with his tongue. Using his free hand, he began to fuck the boy with his fingers, curling them in just the way he knew Zero liked. He was rewarded with a litany of noises from the hunter above him, the cries going straight to his aching erection. _Let this be a lesson, mongrel,_ he thought, despite knowing the man had no way of hearing him. _Don’t intrude where you’re not wanted._

Before long, Zero stiffened above him with a choked cry escaping his throat. The hunter's whole body tensed as his orgasm overtook him, vision going white. 

It was several startling seconds before he came back to himself, moving off of Kaname before he collapsed, boneless and exhausted, onto the mattress.

The pureblood laid down beside the hunter and chuckled as Zero laid an arm over his eyes. Heaving breaths escaped the hunter’s chest as Kaname licked the remains of his release from his face and wiped the rest off with a cloth.

After several long moments, only the sounds of the hunter’s strained breathing filling the air, Zero finally broke the silence.

"I win," He announced, moving his arm to fix Kaname with a victorious grin. "Told you so."

“I suppose you did,” Kaname agreed with a chuckle, not in the mood to argue. “Do I at least get a consolation prize?”

“Hmm, “ The hunter cracked an eye open and looked at Kaname, glancing at the bulge in his pants before pushing himself up onto his knees. He slid down until he was face-level with the erection tenting the pureblood’s pants. “I suppose that could be arranged,” He murmured, looking up into garnet eyes as he pressed his nose to the zipper.

“Wait-“ Kaname stopped him with a firm grasp on his hair. “I was only joking. You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

In response, he received a sharp raise of a brow. "If I didn't want to, I wouldn't have offered," He murmured, parroting the older man's words from earlier right back at him. The hunter slowly rid the pureblood of his pants and ran his tongue along the damp fabric. Zero's cunt throbbed as the sharp, salty taste of Kaname's cock hit his tongue as heat swelled in his gut once more.

Zero wasted no time and boldly locked eyes with Kaname as he licked a stripe up his dick, swirling his tongue around the sensitive head. Losing his composure, Kaname groaned as his fangs lengthened in his mouth involuntarily once the hunter took the whole length of his cock in his mouth. Damn, but this hunter – this _boy_ made him lose himself in a way he hadn’t felt for centuries at least. 

Kaname bit off a curse, burying a hand in those silver locks as he struggled to maintain his composure. 

“Your mouth is divine. Knew you would be good at this,” He murmured, thumb swiping across the hunter’s cheek. “Always wondered what those gorgeous lips of yours would feel like wrapped around my cock.”

Zero hummed around the fullness in his mouth, making the pureblood’s fingers tighten in his hair. His clit throbbed at the action.

The pureblood's cock was huge, enough to make the hunter's eyes water as he struggled to take the whole of it in his mouth. Zero has never been one to particularly enjoy giving blowjobs before – sure, he's given them, but they were usually more for his partner's enjoyment than his own in the past. This time though, it was different. Maybe it was the obscenity of the whole thing. He was a hunter, after all, and here he was practically choking on a _pureblood_ 's dick or the way that Kaname tasted nothing like the other men he'd sucked off in the past, but a heat began to coil in the hunter's belly anew. 

He pulled off the brunette's dick, holding it with one hand as he traced the vein along the underside of it with his tongue. The sweet, yet slightly bitter taste of precum hit his tongue, yet oddly enough, Zero found himself not minding it as much as he assumed he would, though giving fellatio had never been one of his more preferable sexual acts. 

Kaname's cock was hot and heavy in the hunter's mouth as he lapped at the tip of the man's cock with his tongue like it was a sweet, before enveloping it between his lips. Zero was well-aware of how he must look at the moment – lips red and swollen, eyes filled with tears and saliva dripping down his chin like a cheap whore. That thought shouldn't have made his clit throb the way it did.

“Good boy,” Kaname was saying. “Such a good boy. _My_ good boy.”

Zero was too aroused to let the sudden display of possession get to him overly much as they usually would have. Instead, a shudder of heat rolled down his spine at the sound of them, and he merely hummed around the pureblood's length in affirmation. He reached up with his free hand to carefully fondle the pureblood's balls as he bobbed his head, praying silently that Taryn or Kenta didn't choose this exact moment to walk in on them. 

A few moments later, Kaname's hand was tightening in his hair, and a sharp gasp served as the only warning the hunter received before the pureblood spilled down Zero's throat. 

The hunter pulls off of his cock immediately, spluttering and coughing. He reached for a tissue from the table nearby and held it to his lips, spitting the salty substance into it with a grimace.

“Eugh," Zero made a face, scrunching up his nose as he wiped the remainder of Kaname's spend from his lips and glowered at the man. "You know, you could warn a guy next time. God, I’d forgotten how gross that shit tastes. Swallowing is not near as sexy as people make it out to be.”

"I'm sorry," Kaname murmured, reaching for the hunter's hand and pulling him down to lie against the pureblood, where he pressed an apologetic kiss against the hunter's forehead, knowing full-well that Zero was too exhausted to protest.

"Just don't count on me doing that again," The hunter grumbled, before adding, "You know, we should probably get up and wash, right? I’m sweaty and gross."

The pureblood hummed in response.

"And I should let Kenta know I er- can't make it today," Hell, he didn't even want to think about riding a horse right now. But on the other hand, he was quickly growing awfully comfortable, and getting up seemed a great deal of work.

Kaname chuckled quietly at some private joke and pressed closer to the hunter, closing his eyes with a satisfied smirk. 

"I don't believe you need to bother, actually. Something tells me he's already gotten the message."


	28. Chapter 28: Crashing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What goes up must come down...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the lovely comments and kudos, as always! ❤
> 
> Warnings for this chapter are in the endnotes (I finally remembered to put them there instead of at the beginning, I'm so proud of myself, you guys)

Zero ran his hands over pristine white fabric, folded neatly upon the bed. Both he and Kaname had been given them days ago, Taryn telling them that the clothes were a gift from Namid, Kenta’s mate, since they could hardly attend the feast in their usual clothing that was admittedly, less than presentable. He’d been expecting that much. _But this?_ Not a stitch was out of place, each bit of fabric perfectly sewn together. The craftsmanship was incredible, and it must have taken days at the very least.

He wondered for a moment how they’d known his and Kaname’s sizes. _Well, Kaname and Kenta do look to be around the same size._ And he supposed this explained how a few items of his clothing had gone missing for a few days. Taryn must have swiped them for Narid to get his measurements. 

The hunter smiled faintly and unfolded the fabric, carefully putting it on, as though touching the very fabric too harshly would cause it to disintegrate. For all he knew, it _would._

Pure white fabric made up a tunic that fell just past Zero’s waist, a long strip of purple fabric hanging down the middle, pinned at the top with two silver buttons connected via a short chain. Thin, white leggings accompanied the tunic, and a deep violet skirt hung down over them, reaching just short of his ankles. There was even jewelry to go along with the ensemble. A thick golden necklace interlaid with glittering violet and deep blue gems was accompanied by a golden cuff for his ear that connected to an ear-piercing by a golden chain. 

After a moment’s hesitation, Zero decided to finish the outfit off by painting the skin around his eyes in some of the rich, purple ink Asami had given them and finished by painting a thin line of the ink down the middle of each cheek. The woman had explained that it was considered respectful in the eyes of their goddess to paint one’s face before the feast, though she pressed it wasn’t required at all.

_“It brings out your eyes, doesn’t it?” She said with a grin when Zero asked about the violet color, as she explained what each one meant—including which ones were and were not considered respectable to wear to a moon’s feast._

“My, you look fetching,” A low voice commented from behind Zero, the hunter spinning to face the grinning vampire.

Kaname was wearing a similar ensemble with a black tunic whose sleeves were covered with dark brown leather cuffs at his wrists, carved with intricate patterns, and the ends of his dark trousers were delicately embroidered with different shades of red thread. A crimson cloak was draped behind him, clasped at the base of his throat with a golden brooch. 

“You’re not looking half bad yourself,” The hunter returned dryly, letting his eyes skim Kaname’s figure, unabashed for once. Maybe it was the moon’s influence or the excitement surrounding the feast infecting him, but Zero was strangely untroubled and relaxed for once. He wasn’t about to complain either way.

“After you,” Kaname said, motioning towards the entrance.

Zero gave a brief nod in thanks before moving to leave, feeling the pureblood’s presence right behind him.

A gasp escaped the hunter as he stepped out into the frigid night air. Far as the eye could see, colorful, translucent spheres filled the air above their heads, bathing streets in a soft, white glow. Garlands of the glowing flowers Kenta had shown him were strung everywhere, vibrant blue and purple and pink blossoms all strung together with strands of ribbon, their colorful petals filling the air, and coloring the ground. People flocked to the streets, wearing brightly colored dresses and skirts and cloaks, a few even had paint on their faces like Zero did, while others had flowers braided into their hair or wore a crown made from the blossoms.

“Woah,” Was all that came from the hunter’s mouth. What else was there to say about such a sight? It was a scene straight out of a fairy tale, and seeing it with his own eyes was mesmerizing. “Holy _shit.”_

“It’s quite something,” Kaname agreed beside him.

And that wasn’t all either. The streets were filled with all matter of entertainment. Stalls of mouth-watering food like crisp candied apricots and oranges, sprinkled with sugar and freshly roasted Mirmer nuts, drew people like bees to a flower. People with flowing skirts or flames in their hands danced through the streets, bending their bodies in impossible ways. 

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Zero confessed. The village near the school was a quiet, gloomy little place, not the type where one would want to linger and certainly never looked a thing like any of this. He was beginning to wonder if this was all some sort of dream he’d made up or not.

The pureblood hid a smile at the hunter’s excitement and kept silent, not wanting to spoil this moment. It was rare enough to see this side of Zero, let alone that _he_ should be privy to it. Zero cared so little about most things (or at least it seemed that way); it was a treat to witness him enjoying anything with the raw, honest glee that he held now. His lips were stretched into a wide, toothy grin that made his eyes crinkle at the corners and Kaname couldn’t help but want to capture that expression forever. _If only I could make you smile like that all the time._

Swept up in the thrill of the whole thing, Zero snagged Kaname’s hand and took off through the crowds, pulling the stumbling pureblood after him.

A delighted grin curled at Zero’s lips as he and Kaname roamed through the streets, occasionally pausing to watch the dancers toss flaming batons over their heads or listen to someone pluck strings on a wooden instrument in quick succession with a flick of their fingers. He partook in sweets that hadn’t graced his tongue since he was a child and groaned at the overly sweet taste on his tongue.

“Want to try it?” He offered, holding up a crisp slice of candied orange towards the pureblood as the hunter’s tongue darted out to lick granules of sugar from his lips.

With a slow curl of his lips, Kaname leaned forward, grabbing Zero’s fingers coated in tiny pieces of sugar and lifted them to his lips, staring into the hunter’s violet eyes as he laved his tongue over the digits. Zero gaped at the older pureblood as his warm tongue explored his hand, heat curling in his gut at the action and his breath stuttering to a halt.

“Tastes sweet.”

Zero shook his head with a dazed blink, coming back to himself. “I- uh-” He fumbled, trying to come up with a response and found nothing, instead choosing to drag Kaname somewhere else, trying to dispel the awkwardness of the whole situation and cover how fast his heart was hammering in his chest. 

The hunter came to a stop at a stand that held rows and rows of stripy, violet berries. As a child, they’d been a sweet favorite of his before the farmers in the area stopped growing them since there was too much work into caring for them and not enough harvest most years. These ones were shining with a clear coating over their surface and filled with a strong-smelling liquor. He popped one in his mouth and relished at the sweetness of the fruit mingling with the slight burn of bitter alcohol before an idea occurred to him, and he picked up another, this time holding it out for Kaname to try.

With caution, Kaname lifted the sweet to his mouth and bit down on it, chewing slowly before spitting it out onto the ground with a rough cough and earning a loud chuckle from the hunter.

“I thought you-“ Another wheezing laugh wracked Zero’s form. “I thought you’d be used to liquor! I mean, you’re the one who’s always drinking wine.”

“Wine is not nearly the same as vodka,” Kaname shot back with a grimace. “That is vile, absolutely vile.”

“Hey—I happen to be fond of vodka, myself,” Zero argued petulantly.

One of Kaname’s brows rose. “Well, statistically, someone has to be else they would hardly bother producing that awful substance. Still, I doubt I will ever understand your preference for that filth. It tastes absolutely horrid, how do you stand it?”

“Anyone who drinks vodka isn’t doing so for the taste,” The hunter shrugged. “Look, I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t think you’d react quite so badly,” Zero apologized even as his body shook with the remains of his laughter, lifting his hands in surrender.

“We both know you aren’t the least bit remorseful.”

“I am a _little_ bit. But you have to admit, it was kind of funny,” Zero’s lips curled into a smirk. “The powerful and frightening Kaname Kuran, defeated by vodka. Man, who would have thought?”

The pureblood sighed and rubbed at his aching forehead. “I take it you aren’t ever going to allow me to hear the end of this.”

The noise that left the hunter’s mouth could be described as no less than a _cackle,_ for it was far too sinister to be considered laughter in any sense of the word. 

“Not a chance, Kuran. Not a chance.”

Kaname simply shook his head in dismay at the hunter’s antics. 

For the most part, the pureblood found himself—albeit reluctantly, rather _enjoying_ the festivities that night. The entertainment was unlike what he was used to, given that the gatherings he usually attended were far more formal than this, and at such events, the gossip that reached his ears was often the most amusing part of the evening and even then, most of it was dreadfully dull. 

Even more odd to the brunette, though, was the strange and foreign cuisine that the werewolves partook in. There were raw rabbits roasting over a flame and legs of mutton as well with crisp caramel-colored skin or raw for those who preferred it that way (which was most of the wolves; Kaname started to think they were only cooking it for his and Zero’s benefit in the first place). 

There was also steaming mulled wine and rich cider to be had all around, even fresh moonshine that had Zero gagging at the awful taste, but the woman who gave it to them simply shrugged and said “might not taste good, but it’ll get the job done” in such a way that sounded eerily similar to Yagari. 

In fact, Zero had tried some of Yagari’s home-brewed moonshine once, his curiosity finally getting the better of him after having heard of how infamous it was among the other hunters. Once had been more than enough. Zero swore up and down after that that he would never venture near that foul concoction again so long as he lived. Nothing was worth having to imbibe that unholy abomination. 

Both hunter and vampire were well on their way past tipsy when someone from one of the crowds shouted at them and waved a hand clad with jeweled rings.

“Zero!” 

Kaname’s easy-going smile fell away at the sound of Kenta’s voice, as the man wove his way through the crowds to reach them, clad in a rainbow of greens for the night’s festivities. Only this time he was accompanied by someone in a vivid blue gown that dipped sharply in the front. Their dark auburn hair was pulled into two thin braids on either side of their face that connected to a much thicker fishtail in the back, braided through with purple and green feathers.

“Good to see you, my friend!” Kenta greeted Zero, clapping him on the back in a one-arm embrace. “Ah, and your companion as well.”

“Kaname,” The pureblood introduced. If he was going to have to speak with the wolf, he ought to at least be afforded the simple respect of being addressed by his name rather than “Zero’s companion” or “the pureblood.”

“Kaname,” Kenta corrected. “All this time, and I finally learn your name!” The wolf chuckled, as oblivious as ever to the pureblood’s dislike. His companion’s golden eyes crinkled in amusement as the person cleared their throat. 

“Oh, my mistake. This is Namid,” Kenta introduced, bringing their hand to his lips. “My lovely mate.”

“Pleased to meet you both,” Namid greeted, voice soft and light as they looked at Kaname and Zero in turn. Their gaze was calm, calculating in a way that said they weren’t quite sure what to make of either man. “I see you got the clothing, good. I do hope you liked them?”

“How could we not like them? It’s miles better than having to wear a torn shirt and trousers covered in stains from blood and dirt. Like I was planning on,” Zero said with a snort. “I mean- er, thank you for the clothing. I know you didn’t have to make them, and I realize there’s probably no way either of us could thank you enough for all the time and effort you put into them, but if you ever need- _”_

Zero was distantly aware that he was babbling, a sure sign that he’d had a tad too much alcohol this evening. Come to think of it, how many of those infused berries had he eaten? It couldn’t have been that many… could it?

Namid chuckled. “No need to thank me, your appreciation is enough on its own. Besides, I’d been hoping to meet both of you after Kenta told me so much about you. It isn’t every day that we receive such interesting visitors.”

“I don’t know about the interesting part there.” The hunter said before he could stop himself. “I mean, we’re just a vampire and hunter, honestly—nothing too exciting, so don’t get your hopes up. We’re pretty damn boring if you ask me.”

“Nonsense!” Namid chastised, their eyes sparkling with mirth. “Everyone is interesting once you get to know them. Kenta told me you ride horses, yes? How long have you been riding?”

Before Zero or Kaname could formulate a response to that, they were all interrupted by the loud tolling of a bell. Kenta informed both vampires that it was the call to assemble around a great bonfire on the edge of the town. The fire itself was surrounded by logs and boulders, upon which all the wolves would take purchase and beneath the watchful eye of the new moon, renew their vows as pack and some form new bonds as mates before making merry until the fire burned itself out.

The vampires followed after the wolves to the massive, blazing fire where Asami caught their eye and patted the space beside her on the log she was perched upon. She greeted both vampires with enthusiasm, and stray petals caught in her hair. A few older wolves that Kaname presumed to be members of her council took up residence beside the woman.

It was a petite woman with a head of frizzy curls and stripes of green paint upon her cheeks who introduced herself as Grecia, before any others could. 

“Goodness, such a lovely pair you both make!” She gushed as Zero’s stomach plummeted. His smile froze in place. _Pair,_ she said. Pair as in couple, as in mate. Was that was these people thought? That he and Kaname were mates? Was that the image they’d been projecting all evening? Zero swayed where he sat.

A man who looked to be in his forties with a smattering of salt and pepper hair muttered his agreement before clapping Zero on the back like he was familiar enough to do so like they were old friends. 

“This one never left your side while you were ill, I heard. A lovely thing, having a mate so devoted. Why, I wish my Lana gave half as much of a care about me,” He laughed, a hearty sound that made him shake.

“It is a beautiful thing to be able to find one’s mate,” Another woman murmured, lips reddened from wine. “Ah, to be young again.”

Zero’s throat had closed up on him, refusing to budge. 

And so he sat there, unable to make even the slightest noise in protest to the words and growing itchy and warm beneath his clothing. Sweat dripped down his face. 

Kaname attempted to chime in a few times, correcting the well-meant words but was for the most part ignored.

Soon Asami saved the hunter by shushing all of them as the ceremonies began. Zero tried to quell his nerves and sat utterly silent throughout the whole thing, instead distracting himself by watching the flames flicker and dance with detached interest. 

His feet tapped against the ground. _Pat pat pat._ Each tap landed quicker than the one before it. 

The flames writhed and stretched.

_Dum-da. Dum-da. Dum-da._

Even his heart sounded wrong and strange to his ears. Like a broken clock. Zero wiped the sweat from his brow. 

His feet tapped. 

His hands fidgeted. 

The flames climbed higher.

The hunter’s gaze stayed fixed on the flames, watching them rise and fall, dancing with the wind. _Dum-da, dum-da, dum-da._

_Mate. Pair. Devoted._

_Dum-da. Dum-da. Dum-da._

He scarcely heard the words Asami was saying as she performed the ceremonies, too focused on the flames and how loud, loud, _loud,_ it all was. 

_Dum-da._

Zero’s hands fidgeted more, sweat-slicked fingers sliding against each other. 

His feet tapped faster, faster against the earth. 

_Patpatpatpatpat-_

_Blood. Death. Screams. Betrayal. Tomas. My fault. My fault. My fault!_

Somehow the ceremonies came to an end, and the council members resumed their incessant talking. They gushed on and on about Zero and Kaname and how fucking _lovely_ they were! How they were fucking fated, how their match must be _destiny!_

“Who knows, perhaps by next new moon you two will be… oh, what is it humans do? Ah, marriage, that’s it! Yes, perhaps you’ll be married by then,” Grecia chirped, earning a round of endeared laughter.

Zero doubled over as his blood rushed to his ears, noise fading out like an old record. He couldn’t hear anything but his own heartbeat, out of sync and too quick, too quick.

Whiteness licked at the edges of his vision. An itch grew beneath his skin as his damnable clothing threatened to smother him. A hand touched him, and he jerked away from it as though he’d been burned, skin prickling at the sensation of someone else—a _stranger_ —placing their hands on him.

“Don’t touch me!”

“Zero?” The hunter hadn’t realized how loudly he’d shouted until Kaname was looking at him with a furrow of concern between his brows.

The hunter was suddenly much too aware of the eyes on them. On _him._ Dozens upon dozens of them, all staring at-

“I-I-” 

Zero’s violet eyes flitted around, wide and unseeing. They were staring at him, all of them. Judging him. Blaming him. The hunter’s vision swam and his legs wavered beneath him as adrenaline surged through his veins and pulled at him. He couldn’t think will all those eyes on him, all these people watching him and passing judgment on him. Every breath he struggled to take was shallow and quickened with each inhale. Fuck, he couldn’t be here. Not now. He needed-

Fuck. He didn’t know what he needed. Only that he couldn’t be _here!_

Zero did the only thing he could think to do. He ran.

He raced all the way back to Taryn’s tent in a panicked haze and woke Zephyr, untying him with shaking hands and climbing atop him, uncaring that the gelding’s tack wasn’t on him. With a sharp kick, the hunter took off into the night, neither knowing nor caring where he was going.

Kaname rose from where he stood intending to go after the panicking hunter. He’d never seen such raw terror on Zero’s face before and the sight of it left a bitter taste in his mouth, bile rising up the back of his throat. Asami laid a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

“Don’t.” 

“But he-“

“The hunter needs a friend right now, not a lover. If you chase after him now, you will only make things worse,” Asami warned.

He knew that in his mind, of course, she was right, but the pureblood’s heart begged to differ and encouraged him to chase after Zero all the same. Sometimes it was better to think with one’s head than their heart, and he reluctantly sat back down.

“What if he hurts himself?”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I thought he posed a danger to himself,” Asami answered. ”The boy is scared, and he needs time. Leave him be. When he is ready, the hunter will return of his own accord.” 

Kaname pursed his lips together and hoped that the woman’s words proved true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Panic attacks, alcohol use

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to leave a comment or a kudos or a bookmark and let me know what you think! Feel free to also come say hi over on Tumblr or even request a fic of these two dorks! steel-and-silver.tumblr.com


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